David Eustace has Light Years Charm “ready to go” for next week’s Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m) after the progressive galloper comfortably won a dirt trial on Tuesday.

An impressive winner of four Sha Tin races in his first Hong Kong season, the Australian import warmed up for his return with a narrow victory under Zac Purton in a 1,200m trial.

“I was happy with his trial. The track was rain-affected, but I thought he got through it well,” Eustace said.

“Zac knows him extremely well, he was happy with him and he actually jumped good today. He got into a more forward position, so that’s pleasing that we might have that option at some stage down the track.

“Actually, I haven’t been able to rely on him at all to do that and he’s come back a much more relaxed horse as well, mentally. So that should stand him in good stead.”

The first Group race of the season, the Celebration Cup on Sunday week, will be Light Years Charm’s starting point for a campaign that could feature a tilt at December’s Group One Hong Kong Mile.

After arriving in Hong Kong on a rating of 64, the son of Rubick opened his winning account in the city on his fourth start in February before finishing his campaign with a hat-trick to elevate himself to a mark of 100.

“[The Celebration Cup] is a race we’ve sort of targeted because we will stretch him out to a mile at some stage because the programme will sort of force us to, but my feeling the whole way through is that seven furlongs seems to be his best distance,” Eustace said of his emerging star, whose four wins have all been over 1,400m at Sha Tin.

“He’s ready to go. He’ll have a piece of work next week and go into it. And look, it’s going to be a very strong race. I think he’s obviously looked really progressive last year, but he’s going to have to seriously improve again next Sunday and throughout the season because there looks a lot of nice horses in and around that range.

“I’ve got huge respect for plenty of them – My Wish in particular, he’s proved he’s a proper horse. I’m looking forward to it but I’m under no illusions, it’s going to be a good race.”

A beaten $2 favourite when third on his only attempt at 1,600m, Light Years Charm is expected to return to the mile in the Group Two Sha Tin Trophy on October 19.

Trailing the five-year-old in Tuesday’s trial was Patch Of Theta, who ran a close second under little pressure from Vincent Ho Chak-yiu to indicate he is also on track for the Celebration Cup.

Red Lion, an upset winner of the Group One Champions Mile last term, was given a typically soft trial for a John Size-trained galloper when finishing at the tail of the eight-horse field.

Eustace confirmed Victor The Winner will join Light Years Charm in the Celebration Cup, with the British handler hoping a key gear change will help the Group One winner bounce back from his first-up 10th to Ka Ying Rising in the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m).

“I thought he’d run well fresh and he was building back to some sort of form, but he was a bit disappointing,” Eustace said.

“I’ve taken the blinkers off. Without the blinkers and hopefully a slightly slower tempo at 1,400m, he should be able to travel.”

Jerry Chau Chun-lok has been booked to ride Victor The Winner, while Purton will again ride Light Years Charm.