Pierre Ng Pang-chi is confident Aurora Lady can string together consecutive wins when the improving four-year-old bids to continue his rise on Boxing Day at Happy Valley.

Aurora Lady sealed Mickael Barzalona’s emphatic victory in the International Jockeys’ Championship with a dominant victory on December 4 and returns to the city circuit with a nine-point hike to contend with in the Class Three Uranus Handicap (1,200m).

The four-year-old gelding scooted clear of his Class Three rivals in the manner of a horse going places on Happy Valley’s biggest night to register a one-and-a-quarter-length win under the Frenchman.

It would be fair to say his winning margin didn’t tell the full story of his superiority over the field, with the lightly raced galloper showing a powerful turn of foot after finding himself three wide without cover from gate 12 and having to cover plenty of ground.

On Thursday’s bumper 10-race card, Aurora Lady reunites with Zac Purton and the pair jump from barrier nine in a hot race featuring three other last-start winners.

Purton steered the son of Star Witness to an explosive four-and-a-quarter-length win over the course and distance in October and Ng believes his charge still has scope for progression despite his rapid rise in the ratings.

“He just keeps improving,” Ng said. “He’s been unlucky to be put up 21 points with only two wins but he’s promising and he’s only going to get better and better in time. I think he can do it again.”

Aurora Lady will carry 130 pounds against stiff opposition, with Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s Beauty Destiny looking for a hat-trick of wins.

After a tricky start to life in Hong Kong, Beauty Destiny has been a strong force at the city circuit on his past two starts.

The son of Star Turn started a warm $1.4 favourite on his debut in January last year after showing plenty of promise with five trial wins – two in Australia and three in Hong Kong.

But he failed to justify favouritism and had to wait until start nine to shed his maiden tag off a rating of 45 over the Happy Valley 1,200m in May this year.

The son of Star Turn recorded a second career win with a barnstorming late run under Andrea Atzeni on November 6 and recorded back-to-back victories with a two-and-three-quarter-length success three weeks later.

While Lor’s five-year-old jumps from the inside gate under Atzeni, the Jamie Richards-trained Gallant Valour will have to overcome a wide berth in barrier 12 under Brenton Avdulla.

Gallant Valour has provided the struggling Richards with two of the trainer’s four wins this campaign and steps up to Class Three level for the first time.

The Me Tsui Yu-sak-trained Sergeant Pepper also steps up in grade for the Uranus Handicap after a narrow victory in the opening leg of the International Jockeys’ Championship under Barzalona.

The seven-year-old took his record to two wins from three outings over the Happy Valley 1,000m on December 4 and reunites with seven-pound claimer Ellis Wong Chi-wang.