Pierre Ng Pang-chi hopes Hong Kong’s cold snap will not scupper I Give’s shot at a sixth consecutive win when the sprinter lines up in Saturday’s Class Three Pine Handicap (1,200m).

I Give began the season rated 37 in the Class Five Kowloon Peak Handicap (1,200m) on September 10. The son of Per Incanto has rapidly advanced to a mark of 71 following five victories on the bounce over the 1,200m course at Sha Tin.

Relentless front-runner I Give, the biggest mover in the ratings this term, has been the largest contributor to Ng’s 37-win tally. This weekend, he makes his first appearance since Hong Kong’s temperatures plunged.

“He’s doing good, and hopefully, the weather change doesn’t bother him, which it might,” Ng said. “He has been quite a surprise for us, but I know it’s going to be hard for him to win a sixth race in a row.”

After I Give resumed with a victory in Class Five company, the gelding claimed three Class Four contests before saluting in his first Class Three assignment, last month’s Chevalier Construction Handicap (1,200m).

Adopting his customary leading role in all of his five triumphs, I Give has been impossible to reel in. Punters should expect him to go to the front in the eighth event on Saturday’s 10-race programme.

“He just does his own thing from the front, and hopefully nothing can catch him,” Ng said. “He’s been fantastic, and I just hope he runs well.”

As well as rising through the Jockey Club’s classes, I Give has clocked increasingly faster times throughout his winning streak.

After stopping the clock at 1:10.17 in his opening-day success, I Give shaved more than eight-tenths of a second off that time to win his second start in 1:09.32. The five-year-old gelding ran 1:09.16 and 1:09.11 in his final two Class Four triumphs before recording his career-best time of 1:08.99 on November 26 when he beat Cotton Fingers by a head.

Ng, who leads this season’s trainers’ championship by 15 wins from Danny Shum Chap-shing, saddles nine runners this weekend, with Italian jockey Andrea Atzeni not only riding I Give again but also steering Winning Steps, Sunny Shines and M M Nebula for the in-form handler.

“It’s been great to get support from Pierre, especially in the last month or so, and it all started with I Give,” Atzeni said. “He was my second ride for Pierre, and I hope he can go close again on Saturday.”