In his bid to capture the first leg of the four-year-old series, Pierre Ng Pang-chi has called upon December’s runaway International Jockeys’ Championship winner Mickael Barzalona to ride Johannes Brahms in the Classic Mile on January 31.

The Frenchman put on a masterclass on Happy Valley’s biggest night in December and has been snapped up by Ng after the handler revealed James McDonald was unable to take the ride for the HK$13 million contest.

“James couldn’t make the trip and we thought Mickael was the right man for the job,” Ng said.

“It’s a very close race and there are only 17 rating points between the runners so it was important we had a good jockey.”

Placed at Group Two level for Aidan O’Brien pre-import, Johannes Brahms will head to the Classic Mile on the back of a promising third over 1,400m on January 12.

The Siyouni gelding stamped his four-year-old series claims with a strong win on his third start in the city before finishing a length and a quarter behind fellow Classic Mile hope Rubylot.

“He ran very well last time,” Ng said. “We tried to switch him off and leave him alone and he finished off nicely in the end.

“It was a great run to lead up to the Classic Mile and if he can build on that, he has a solid chance.”

The priority to run list for the Classic Mile was published on Wednesday, with Packing Hermod and Rubylot headlining the 14-strong line up. Markwin filled the final spot, with the 76-rated gelding sneaking in ahead of Caspar Fownes’ Sky Trust, who misses out on the same rating.

Before Ng chases his first four-year-old series success, the handler was relieved to add to his win tally for the campaign on Wednesday night after a relatively slow period with only three wins in the 30 days before the midweek meeting.

Ng struck in the opening contest at Happy Valley, with Plentiful recording his second win of the season and first of the night for his rider Andrea Atzeni, who sealed a double in the penultimate contest thanks to Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s in-form Beauty Destiny.

The much-needed Class Five victory brought Ng level with championship leader Danny Shum Chap-shing on 28 wins for the campaign.

“It’s nice to get another win with this horse,” Ng said. “He had so many issues before so now I’m happy with him.

“He was a lot of trouble at the gate and then he fractured his knee, but now he’s got the mind to race properly.”

Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Francis Lui Kin-wai celebrated his birthday in style by collecting his 400th Happy Valley win.

Lui turned 66 on Wednesday and wasted no time banging in a birthday winner with his first runner on the card, with Golden Empire holding on for a narrow success in the second section of the Class Four Kowloon Park Handicap (1,200m).

“It’s a nice birthday present,” Lui said. “I thought he had a chance down in Class Four, but he was drawn 10 which was a big worry.

“In the end, the pace was a bit different for him down in class and it suited him.”

David Hayes was also left smiling on the evening after Star Mac registered his first victory at start 17 on his first outing at the tight-turning track.

The five-year-old, who finished third in last year’s Classic Mile, recorded a powerful win in the Class Three Hong Kong Park Handicap (1,800m) under Brenton Avdulla.

“He won like a very good horse there,” Hayes said. “When he was running third in the Classic Mile a year ago, I thought he would be in the good races now so it’s just taken a while,” Hayes said. “But he looks like a horse that will win again.”