Mark Newnham believes the ability to travel horses up to Conghua’s training facility “will only improve results” after the Australian was one of three handlers named as the latest dual-site trainers on Thursday.

Fellow first-season conditioner Cody Mo Wai-kit and 66-year-old Manfred Man Ka-leung will also be allocated stables at Conghua, with Newnham confident the facility can provide another useful option for his 51-strong stable.

“It’s a great facility and it gives a really good avenue for horses, especially mid-preparation and between runs,” Newnham said. “Our first horses went there on Friday and I’ve been up there to visit.

“I think it’s a fantastic addition to my training. It will be a really good avenue for my horses. Plus, the way I’m going to look to use it will only improve results.”

March has been Newnham’s most successful month in Hong Kong – returning five winners from 45 runners – and he hopes the access to Conghua will enable his horses to recover away from the hustle and bustle of Sha Tin.

“It will be more for horses who have had a few runs and are just looking for a bit of a freshen-up,” Newnham said. “The first lot of horses I’ve got going there aren’t running for a few weeks. They can get there and recharge a little bit.

“It will be case by case of course, but horses who are a bit nervous and don’t really handle the stress of the Hong Kong racing stable can have an outlet to freshen up their minds.”

Trainers based solely at Sha Tin have a stable cap of 60 horses, whereas those with dual-site operations have a maximum of 70. But, with an increase in capacity comes heightened expectations from the Jockey Club.

Handlers who train solely out of Sha Tin are subject to performance criteria of 16 wins per season – 14 of which must be above Class Five level – to avoid a strike, but the number is bumped up to 18 for dual-site trainers.

While Newnham, Mo and Man will have horses stabled at Conghua for the final three months of the season, the three trainers will not have to meet the dual-site performance criteria this term.

Newnham sits 16th in the trainers’ championship with 17 victories, but the 57-year-old has saddled at least 100 runners less than every trainer above him in the premiership.

Firing fewer bullets in the first half of the season has resulted in Newnham still operating at a solid strike rate of 8.7 per cent after opting for a patient approach to his training programme.

Newnham saddles first HK G1 runner: ‘to have a horse of his calibre is exciting’

“I’ve always said the second half will be the time to get some numbers on the board for us. We’ve got a few nice horses and we won’t overexpose them this season because I’ve always been patient. Luckily with horses of that talent, you can be,” he said.

The handler sends six runners to Sha Tin on Sunday and nominated Talents Ambition, who contests the Class Three CW Chu And Wu Yee Sun Alumni Handicap (1,600m), and Crazy Treasure, who lines up in the Class Four Lee Woo Sing Alumni Handicap (1,200m) as his most likely winners.

“I would say Talents Ambition and Crazy Treasure have the best chances,” Newnham said. “Crazy Treasure has been drawn wide recently and he just needs a bit of luck.”