David Hall is focusing solely on getting his progressive sprinter Magnifique back safe and sound before considering lavish targets as he begins on the comeback trail at Sha Tin on Saturday.

The Charm Spirit galloper looked to be a smart operator in the making last season, rattling off three wins from four starts, and he runs in the Class Three Sham Chung Handicap (1,000m).

Winning his opening two starts with his head in his chest, Magnifique had excuses when suffering defeat for the first time when hampered early at Sha Tin in March.

After several months off the track, he looked better than ever when swooping late to salute in Class Three for the first time, but there was a sting in the tail after the race when it was discovered he bled heavily from both nostrils.

He has subsequently trialled on three occasions, winning his two most recent hit-outs, and Hall’s main focus is getting his horse through the race without any dramas before looking far into the future.

This will be just his second start at the 1,000m distance, but he won up the straight on debut and has drawn the perfect barrier in stall 12 which will see him near the coveted grandstand rail under James Orman.

“He’s had a long time to get over his bleeding, but there’s only so much you can do with those bleeds,” said Hall. “It just comes down to whether he gets back under race pressure and can handle the stress.

“His trials have been fine, as they were previously, so now it’s time to get back to the races and see where we are.

“I think we’ll stay sprinting with him long-term – I can’t see him being pushed towards the mile at any point. Right now, we’re just focusing on getting him back to the races and getting him through healthy. Once we have that base, we can work from there.

“You’ve always got your heart in your mouth – he had a pretty heavy bleed on the day. Hopefully he can get through the day and fingers crossed he brings his best form. The main thing is that he returns healthy.”

Hall also runs Sparkling Fellow in the same race, a five-year-old who was a dual winner in Australia pre-import.

He is yet to strike in nine starts in Hong Kong, but he was beaten just a neck on reappearance at Sha Tin from a nightmare draw and followed up that performance with a pair of decent runs over the same 1,000m trip.

“It’s typical of Hong Kong really, he’s still a maiden but he’s performed better than average many times and hasn’t been rewarded,” said Hall.

“He’s a bit of a track and distance horse, he really goes well down the straight at Sha Tin, so we’re probably lucky to get the second one in the race.”

Hall also has a decent chance of a post-Christmas winner with Brownneedsfurther, who has shown ability in four starts to date and runs in section two of the Class Four Tai Long Tsui Handicap (1,200m).

“He’s a bit of a nervous horse, but he’s had a couple of placings and probably is a horse who needs a bit more racing to get him a bit more settled and relaxed to find the best out of him,” said Hall.