Jimmy Ting Koon-ho enjoyed his first double in almost a year at Sha Tin on Saturday, sailing past last season’s win tally and ensuring he won’t meet the wrath of the licensing committee for the second straight campaign.

Hit with a strike after managing only 12 winners in 2023-24, Ting moved to 14 for the term thanks to the victories of Flash Current and Little Paradise.

“It’s my first double for the season and I hope that later I will win more. I need some more winners and I think I can get some,” said Ting after reaching the trainers’ criteria for single-site handlers with 18 meetings remaining.

Flash Current got the ball rolling for Ting, rewarding those who backed him into $2.45 favouritism with victory in the Class Four Tuen Mun Public Riding School Handicap (1,400m).

Settled three wide with cover in midfield by Zac Purton, Flash Current powered home down the middle of the track to see off second elect Riding Together by a length.

“We were lucky because there were two sections [of the Class Four 1,400m] and the other section was very strong. That section is weaker and that’s why he can win,” said Ting after Flash Current rung up his second victory at start five.

Little Paradise was even more impressive in the Class Four Hong Kong Riding For The Disabled Association 50th Anniversary Cup (1,200m), remaining unbeaten from two starts with a comfortable success under Luke Ferraris.

Dealt the second double-figure draw of his short career, Little Paradise was settled behind midfield from gate 10 but had no trouble picking his rivals up in the straight.

“He’s a nice horse. He’s still a little bit green and I hope that he’s still improving,” Ting said after his three-year-old saw off runner-up Sea Sapphire by a length and three-quarters.

“He’s a quiet horse – when he sits at the back he doesn’t pull. He’s very quiet and relaxed and he gives plenty in the finish.”

While Ting leapfrogged Michael Chang Chun-wai to drag himself off the bottom rung of the trainers’ premiership, Chang also left Sha Tin smiling after snaring the card-closing Class Two with Lady’s Choice.

Sent off $14.1 in a red-hot Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road Handicap (1,200m) featuring Fast Network, Wunderbar and Invincible Shield, Lady’s Choice took luck out of the equation by striding to the front from gate four and leading throughout under Matthew Poon Ming-fai.

Poon set sharp enough fractions aboard Lady’s Choice but the five-year-old had more than enough in the tank to hold off his rivals, with Bottomuptogether – who travelled in second position – a three-quarter-length runner-up.

“He’s now fully mature. Mentally, he’s improved a lot. Last year, he was still mentally a little bit hot but he’s now calmed down a lot. He relaxes, he knows the racing, he tries and he keeps improving,” said Chang, putting the Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m) on the agenda for his charge.

“Maybe I will run him in the Group Three race at the end of this month. He will carry a light weight [and] he holds his form well.”

Lady’s Choice’s fourth victory of the season saw Chang move to 13 for the campaign, while Poon found himself in the winners’ circle for the third straight meeting.

Tomodachi Kokoroe bounced back to form with third at $112, while Fast Network (fifth), Invincible Shield (seventh) and Wunderbar (eighth) disappointed.