Beauty Generation, Golden Sixty and California Spangle all won the Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m) before breaking through at Group One level in the Hong Kong Mile later in the same year, something a host of hopefuls are gunning to emulate in 2025.

All three gallopers were returning after a season that revolved around four-year-old series campaigns and this Sunday’s Celebration Cup is loaded with horses that fit that category, even if connections’ hopes of reaching the level of any of that trio exist very much as pipe dreams at this stage.

Seven gallopers begin their five-year-old season in this weekend’s feature, while former Irish-trained galloper Johannes Brahms remains a four-year-old.

Headlining the group who tackles an older brigade made up of Happy Together, Copartner Prance, Patch Of Theta, Victor The Winner, Moments in Time and Sunlight Power is My Wish, last season’s Classic Mile winner who finished his campaign with a close fourth in the Group One Champions Mile.

Also an agonising second in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m), My Wish has returned with two strong trials and he looks the most obvious Group One winner in waiting in the race.

“He showed at his last two starts that he’s certainly got enough ability, but those horses going from four to five are the ones who improve the most. I’ve been happy with his improvement, but how I gauge that against the others, we won’t know until we get under race conditions,” said trainer Mark Newnham.

“He’s been out of competition for five months but the break did him good. He had a busy season last season from the first day through to the end of April, so he did need a break.

“He looks like he’s mentally and physically improved, which is good to see. His trials have been good. We had to ask a bit of him in his trials because he has been so long off and some of his opposition went longer into the season or have had a run back this season.”

While Classic Cup winner Rubylot, Classic Series placegetters Packing Hermod, Divano and Johannes Brahms, and Group Three winner Pray For Mir have also already flashed their credentials in feature races, it is perhaps the David Eustace-trained Light Years Charm who boasts the most upside after a scintillating end to his 2024-25 campaign.

While the four-year-old series came too quickly for Light Years Charm, he marched to a rating of 100 thanks to two Class Three successes and a pair of Class Two victories.

He steps into Group company for the first time after rounding out last season with a hat-trick of victories and, like My Wish, making a recent splash at the trials.

“I’m not getting carried away but he’s a bloody exciting horse, isn’t he? Most horses improve from four to five, so hopefully he can improve enough to be competitive in big races,” said Eustace.

“I am [allowing myself to get a little bit excited], of course, but it’s going to be hard. It’s lovely seeing a horse go through the grades like he did and I’m not knocking what he’s achieved, but I’m just really mindful that a lot of these horses are probably going to run in the Hong Kong Mile in December.”

One galloper who could head in a different direction is Rubylot, who finished second behind Voyage Bubble in May’s Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) and may be set on a path to the Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m).

“The Sha Tin Trophy will be the race we decide which race we’ll target on international day – either the Mile or the Cup,” said trainer David Hayes.