The excitement surrounding Moreira's potential return will have done little to comfort Size on Monday after his Hong Kong Derby Winner Ping Hai Star was ruled out for the rest of the season.

"He got an injury this morning. It looks suspensory," Size told the SCMP. "To me, it looks like he’ll have a prolonged spell out but we’ll find out more as time goes on."

Ping Hai Star, who finished runner-up on his return to the track after a 155-day break on October 1, was being primed for a tilt at the Hong Kong Cup in December.