Danerich gelding Brilliant Dream made dramatic race-to-race improvement to break his maiden in the Pui O Hcp (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

The Hong Kong sprinter was wayward on debut in April and then missed a run when his trainer David Hall was hit by a feed contamination and subsequent positive swabs to arsenic.  Despite those setbacks, the horse returned a far more accomplished performer.

“He’s a bit temperamental and didn’t take as much improvement out of his trials into his first race as we would have liked,” Hall said on Saturday.  “But he certainly showed he had improved today.  He will get better with more racing, his manners and his tractability will improve.

“It will be good to get him back to the races again soon.  It can be hot and demanding on these horses at this time of year – but if he could get another run in before the end of the season he would take a lot of benefit from the experience.”

Brilliant Dream (3g Danerich – Pentatonic by Pentire) was bred by Barree Stud and is closely related to Hong Kong stakes performers Glorious Days (Hussonet) and Kildare (O’Reilly).

Known as Con Forza before shipping off-shore, he had won a Cranbourne trial in September 2013.  “When I trialled him down there he was a natural jump and run horse,” jockey Brett Prebble said.  “He had been well-educated by a good trainer in Greg Eurell but came here and had no idea.

“He was getting it all wrong, even jumping shadows but obviously things are starting to click.”

Danerich (Danehill) will stand at Rangal Park Stud in Euroa for a service fee of $8,800 (nc gst) in 2014.