Global Harmony’s Hong Kong career has a pulse, with stewards outlining a long and arduous road back for the stubborn galloper.

While trainer David Hayes recommended sending Global Harmony back to Australia after the five-year-old twice refused to leave the gates in races, owners the Mastermind Syndicate have opted to keep their charge in Hong Kong.

After first refusing to take part as a $5 chance on January 21, Global Harmony then stood in the gates as the $2.2 favourite on February 18, with stewards confirming on Thursday morning the galloper is banned from racing for four months from that date.

During that time, Global Harmony “must compete in a minimum of five consecutive barrier trials in Hong Kong to the satisfaction of the stewards, with a minimum of two of those barrier trials to be conducted from the 1,600m starting point. The same gear must be worn by the horse on raceday as used in all five barrier trials”.

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Prior to trialling, Global Harmony must compete in two jump outs with at least one taking place in Hong Kong.

“Should Global Harmony refuse to jump or be very slow to jump in any of the barrier trials, the stewards will make a recommendation that the horse should be compulsorily retired from racing in Hong Kong,” said Jockey Club chief steward Marc van Gestel in a statement.

The decision to keep Global Harmony at Sha Tin could be a positive for Hong Kong racing, with the city’s upper-class horse numbers down on where officials would like them.

With two wins and two placings this season, Global Harmony has jumped to a rating of 81 and looks certain to be competitive at Class Two level if he can sort out his barrier troubles.

In-form Chan boasts biggest book of the season

Alfred Chan Ka-hei’s recent success in the saddle has not gone unnoticed and the 29-year-old rider has been rewarded with his biggest book of the season at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Chan has returned to the winner’s enclosure on three of his past eight rides and a result hops aboard five gallopers on the 10-race card.

The five-pound claimer unites with six-time winner I Give in the Class Three Kowloon Tong Club Trophy (1,200m) and also teams up with another Pierre Ng Pang-chi-trained speedster, Duke Wai, in the Class Two Rutland Handicap (1,000m).

Chan represents four trainers at the weekend, with the Jamie Richards-prepared Fortune Cookies, Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Majestic Speed and the Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained Super Winner completing his book.

While it’s Chan’s recent form that has earned him his weekend rides, his performance over the first 50 meetings would show that he’s been outperforming the market from only a handful of serious chances.

Despite taking 20 rides to get off the mark this term, if you had backed every one of Chan’s 51 mounts you would be pretty happy with the returns from his five winners.

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Thanks to Samarkand ($14), Atomic Beauty ($48), Ka Ying Spirit ($30) and a pair of victories from Sugar Sugar at $10 and $8.9, backing Chan blind in the 2023-24 campaign would have returned a staggering profit of $616 to a $10 level stake.

He is one of only three riders sitting in front at this point of the season, with Antoine Hamelin (+$279.5) and Harry Bentley (+$54.5) the other two jockeys ahead with 38 meetings remaining.

Chan also boasts an impressive strike rate this season, with his winning percentage of 9.8 currently the sixth best behind Zac Purton (18.3 per cent), Hugh Bowman (17.9), Vincent Ho Chak-yiu (13.4), Karis Teetan (12.4) and Harry Bentley (10.6).