After Stormy Grove’s shock win and solid but unspectacular runs from leading contenders in Sunday’s Classic Cup (1,800m), the picture around the city’s most prized race – the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) – is very unclear.

Still a Hong Kong maiden two starts before Sunday and not among Derby entries at that time, Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s Stormy Grove has suddenly catapulted into contention for the HK$26 million feature after a pair of brilliant victories.

The Australian import’s upset success at $22.25 on Sunday came as the Derby’s two strongest prospects – Little Paradise and Numbers – fell short of lofty expectations.

Fresh from a scintillating performance to win the Classic Mile, Little Paradise blew the start badly, with jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu telling stewards the popular $2.5 favourite was fractious in the gates.

Ho called to the starter to delay the start but it was too late. The Jimmy Ting Koon-ho-trained galloper initially struggled to make ground in the straight before running on strongly in the final 200m to finish eighth, beaten three and a half lengths.

Numbers, who was rated the pick of Lor’s two chances at $3.8 after impressive back-to-back wins, did some work out wide from barrier 11 to get to the lead and set some strong sectionals from the front.

That told late when he was passed by a surging Stormy Grove, runner-up Invincible Ibis and Patch Of Cosmo, but his effort to hold on for fourth was full of merit.

Stewards probed Derek Leung Ka-chun’s ride from the 800m, questioning whether there was a chance to set a slower pace, but the jockey said Numbers was “in a comfortable rhythm and as a result he elected to allow it to continue to stride forward without restraining his mount”.

Numbers’ work past the post was very strong and the 2,000m will pose no problem, given he was a Group One Queensland Derby runner-up over 2,400m in Australia when known as King Of Thunder.

While both horses had some excuses on Sunday, Little Paradise and Numbers won’t have such a stranglehold on Derby betting with the market now expected to be much more open.

Invincible Ibis bounced back from his Classic Mile sixth to prove he should not be left out of Derby discussions, Patch Of Cosmo’s run was also encouraging, and Dazzling Fit and Pope Cody were solid in fifth and sixth respectively.

Sagacious Life’s reputation as a major Derby contender took a massive hit, with Pierre Ng Pang-chi’s import finishing a distant last after failing to settle in the early and middle stages and copping a check at the 200m.

The disappointing performance will almost certainly prompt champion jockey Zac Purton to look for another Derby ride.

That is one of many questions to be answered in the lead-up to March 22 and in the race itself.

Hong Kong International Sale delayed

Quarantine issues with southern hemisphere horses have prompted the Jockey Club to delay the Hong Kong International Sale until late June or early July.

The annual auction, which gives permit holders the chance to buy International Sale Griffins sourced from around the world, was initially scheduled to be held on Friday.

“There was just a problem with quarantine. Everything’s back on track – there was an uncertainty about holding to that date and whilst the northern hemisphere horses had arrived, there was some uncertainty around when the southern hemisphere horses would arrive,” Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding said.

“We are also in the busy period with the Derby and then some horses arriving for FWD Champions Day, so there are implications there in terms of quarantine. We thought the better course was to push it back.

“We have done it at that time of the year in the past. We had reasons for wanting to do it in early March, but it’s perfectly viable to do it later in the season.”