Trainer Chris So Wai-yin and jockey Andrea Atzeni are full of optimism as Top Dragon steps out over his “ideal distance” on his return in Wednesday’s Class Two Hong Kong Reunification Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin.

The Pierata galloper ran in two legs of the Classic Series earlier this campaign, finishing fifth in the Classic Mile and after a second-place finish in the Class Two company the start after, he ran a gallant seventh in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m).

He has been absent since the Derby in March, but that was by design rather than any setback, and he has been trialling well since.

So is relishing the chance to drop him back to what he describes as his “best distance” with Atzeni taking the reins for the third time.

“Everything is normal. I just spoke to the owner and even before the Derby, we spoke about giving him a small break. We’ve brought him back now and everything is normal – first start back to 1,400m, which is his ideal distance, so let’s see,” So said.

“All three trials were pretty good – I was happy after the trial and everything was normal, he’s looking well. So far, he’s very healthy and I really hope giving him a break after the Derby, he can run a good race.

“1,200m is a bit short and because he has taken a break, 1,600m is a bit too far. So, we made the decision to put him in the 1,400m race. I think 1,400m is the best distance for him on his comeback.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Atzeni, who was pleased with his Derby performance and will be looking to break his duck aboard the four-year-old.

“I thought it was a good run in the Derby – he had a good trip around from a kind gate but he didn’t quite get the 2,000m. He’s had a break, been freshened up and had a few trials. He’s in good order,” Atzeni said.

Atzeni booted home a double at Sha Tin last Saturday to move to 60 winners, surpassing his previous best season haul of 58, and he has another strong book on Wednesday in his bid to hold off Hugh Bowman for second in the jockeys’ premiership.

Flow Water Flow missed the four-year-old series for John Size, but he is a promising operator and Atzeni is looking forward to pairing up with him in the Class Three Sportsmanship Handicap (1,600m).

Second in his first three starts, the son of Proisir really got the hang of things when upped in distance, taking top spot in 1,600m and 1,800m handicaps before a spell on the sidelines due to a fever.

Barrier six will give him every chance and although Atzeni believes he may need the run, his class could well shine on his comeback.

“He’s a nice horse, he’s been really promising this season and it looked like he could have gone on to the four-year-old series but he had a fever, so we didn’t see him for a while,” Atzeni said.

“He’s had a few trials which were OK, but that’s always hard to judge. His trial the other day was OK because he wouldn’t be a flashy horse in the mornings. He might just take a run, but he’s ready to go to the races and a mile is probably a good start for him. He’s a lovely horse so I’m looking forward to it.”

Atzeni will also team up with Size when he rides Beauty Award in the second section of the Class Four Continuous Development Handicap (1,400m).

An unconsidered $29 chance on debut, he outperformed those odds to surge home from the back of the pack into sixth, something that did not surprise Atzeni despite the big price.

“He’s a lovely horse, we’ve always thought plenty of him but we thought he’d probably take a couple of runs. I thought he ran a good race first time up, a bit better than expected but I wasn’t surprised because we knew there was something there,” Atzeni said.

“Hopefully he can take improvement from that and run a big race.”