Whether Sacred Kingdom is back to the form that ranked him the world’s leading turf sprinter for two years will become more apparent in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize this Sunday.

The second leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series intriguingly pits Ricky Yiu Poon-fai’s champion against Green Birdie, Enthused and Sunny Power, runner-up, fourth and fifth respectively in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint.

Trainer Yiu said he's “more than happy” with the five-year-old’s progress since his comeback race in the speed series’ first leg when he finished fourth despite being disadvantaged by racing on the far side of the 1,000m chute.

“I thought his comeback was acceptable. He was on the wrong part of the track that day. It was the plan to follow Enthused and Douglas Whyte but we didn’t expect they would stay over on the far side. He got a bit of a squeeze closer to the line as well, but I wasn’t too disappointed with the run overall.”

Olivier Doleuze takes the reins for the first time on Sacred Kingdom and will find himself exiting the inside barrier from the 1200m start. Yiu would not be specific about where his stable star would likely position in the run, but it’s fair to assume that he will adopt a position around midfield.

However, asked whether he felt he could collect this race for a second season, the trainer replied: “Yes, I think that’s most likely - as long as he gets clear running I think he can win.”

Green Birdie should prove a worthy opponent as he drops back in trip having raced a little too prominently for trainer Caspar Fownes’ liking over a mile in the Citi Stewards’ Cup under Doleuze and Christophe Soumillon will get the leg-up on the day his current stint as a Club Jockey expires.

The ever-consistent Enthused, meanwhile, can also be expected to deliver another big run, even if jockey Douglas Whyte bemoaned his inability to draw a suitable barrier.

“This is the third Gr.1 in a row he has got a bad alley. He got 13 in the international sprint, gate 1 on the wrong side of the track last time out and now he has eight of ten. He’s capable of winning a Gr.1 but he’ll need luck from out there,” Whyte said.

For similar reasons, Sunny Power is another for whom major race glory is proving elusive and while trainer Francis Lui believes his handy Honour And Glory gelding can place from barrier six, he seems to be less confident the major breakthrough he craves will eventuate this weekend.

“He is in good form but maybe not quite as good as he was on or before the international meeting. He has been unlucky with barriers and has met with interference so he could do with a change in fortune,” said Lui who indicated Sunny Power would next tackle the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, the third leg of the speed series on 15 March, before getting a break from training.

Elsewhere, Weichong Marwing believes Kildare “can figure in the first three as long as he settles” while John Moore feels River Jordan is the pick of his three runners having made a pleasing comeback in the Centenary Sprint Cup.

“He ran well on that occasion and this extra trip will suit. This 1200m is still short of his best but I think he’ll travel just behind the speed and finish off strongly. Let’s see if that’s good enough to place,” Moore said.