Mark Newnham’s wait for his first Hong Kong win came to an end at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, with Happy Hero taking out the Class Five Yau Tong Handicap (1,650m).

While Newnham thought he had a good chance of breaking his duck at last Sunday’s washed-out Sha Tin meeting, the Australian trainer was not expecting his maiden success in the city to come from either of his two Happy Valley runners.

“When he drew badly, it dampened my confidence a bit. I just thought he’d be a good place chance, and then in running when he was back last, I thought, ‘well, he’ll probably just run home into a place’, but he surprised me with how well he finished,” said Newnham after breaking through with his 13th starter in the city.

“I’m just pleased to get one on the board. I thought it would be last Sunday. I’m really excited. I only got back from the Sydney two-year-old sale this afternoon, rushed home, got changed and came straight here, so it was worth the effort.

“To come to Hong Kong to train is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and to get the first one is very exciting.”

The race set up nicely for Lyle Hewitson aboard Happy Hero after the five-year-old flopped out of the gates and settled last, with leader Star Of Glory reeling off a first 850m well over a second inside standard.

Still last straightening for home, Happy Hero barrelled down the middle of the track to notch his first win at start 11 after dropping 28 points in the ratings across 10 starts for former trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong.

“He’s shown good improvement each week he’s been with me,” Newnham said. “Lyle’s ridden him in work quite a few times and in the trials.

“It was only probably six or eight weeks ago that Lyle was at the track one morning, and I pointed out the horse, and I said, ‘I think this horse can improve from last year. Can you come and ride him in work a couple of times and see what you think?’. He’s just gradually improved the whole way.”

Ivy League also made a breakthrough on Wednesday night, with Douglas Whyte’s four-year-old notching his first win in Hong Kong to go with his two pre-import successes for Aidan O’Brien in Ireland.

Last in January’s Hong Kong Classic Mile as a $138 chance, Ivy League finally delivered connections a return on their investment with victory under Keagan de Melo in the Class Three Hang Hau Handicap (1,650m).

On a night where the spoils were largely shared, Angus Chung Yik-lai was the only jockey to head home with a double, and Danny Shum Chap-shing was the only trainer to snare a brace.

Chung continued his strong start to the season, with victories aboard Diamond Soars and Happy Fat Cat taking him to seven wins through nine meetings, while Shum moved to 10 triumphs thanks to the successes of Exuberant and Lightning Bolt.

Meanwhile, connections confirmed on Wednesday that star British speedster Highfield Princess will target December’s Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) rather than the Breeders’ Cup.

A four-time winner at the elite level, Highfield Princess finished third in June’s Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) at Royal Ascot, about four lengths ahead of Hong Kong’s Wellington.

“All being well, she’ll head to Hong Kong,” trainer John Quinn told the Racing Post. “We thought about it long and hard and decided to target just one of the two races. She’s won over all distances, and we thought the six furlongs at Sha Tin was the way to go.”