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Trainer Mark Newnham can build on his breakout season by snaring a Group 1 win with either My Wish or Invincible Ibis in the HK$24 million Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Newnham is among six trainers locked in an enthralling battle for Hong Kong trainers premiership honours this season.

The former leading Sydney jockey and trainer has prepared 48 winners going into tonight's Happy Valley meeting and trails Hong Kong premiership leader Caspar Fownes by just one win.

Danny Shum of Romantic Warrior fame is third on 46 wins, Hall of Famer David Hayes, the trainer of Ka Ying Rising, is next with 44 wins, then Francis Liu (42 wins) and John Size (40 wins).

Newnham is only in his third season training in Hong Kong and it would be a remarkable achievement if he can win the premiership.

Already this season Newnham has prepared the winner of Hong Kong's most prestigious race, the Hong Kong Derby with Invincible Ibis under Hall of Fame jockey Hugh Bowman.

But Bowman has elected to ride stablemate My Wish in the Champions Mile (1600m) so Sydney's champion jockey James McDonald takes over on Invincible Ibis.

My Wish has been improving with racing and just missed last start when edged out by Lucky Sweynesse in the Group 2 Chairman's Trophy.

Invincible Ibis hasn't raced for a month since winning the Hong Kong Derby but Newnham gave the four-year-old a barrier trial last week.

Newnham said he can't fault his two chances going into Sunday's big race.

"My Wish was good last start, he only just got beaten,'' Newnham said.

"Invincible Ibis has been good all season, he saved his best for the Derby and ran a record time.

"We have two great jockeys and both horses should run well.''

Newnham said Invincible Ibis will be spelled after Sunday's race but the trainer hasn't decided whether to keep My Wish going this season.

"This will probably be My Wish's last run for the season, although there is one more race that could suit him,'' the trainer said.

"Invincible Ibis's form is very similar to My Wish last year. My Wish was beaten a head in the Derby then ran fourth in the Champion's Mile before he went for a spell, then he came back later in the year and ran sixth in the International Mile.

"I'm hoping we can get both horses back for the International meeting in December.''

But Newnham concedes My Wish and Invincible Ibis need to produce career-best efforts on Sunday to beat a world class field including Japanese star Jantar Mantar.

The Tomokazu Takano-trained five-year-old Jantar Mantar has won six of his 10 starts and is a four-time Group 1 winner, all at 1600m.

Jantar Mantar was unbeaten in three starts as a juvenile culminating with his Group 1 Futurity Stakes win, then he returned as a three-year-old to win the Group 1 NHK Mile.

Then last year, Jantar Mantar had only three starts, winning the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen first-up before finishing second in the Fuji Stakes prior to winning the Group 1 Japan Mile Championship.

Although Jantar Mantar hasn't raced for nearly five months, his form is exceptional and he looms as the horse to beat in the Champion's Mile on Sunday.

"The Japanese are always hard to beat,'' Newnham said. "But Jantar Mantar is a solid Group 1 horse with very good form.''

Newnham won't have a runner in Sunday's other Group 1 races so he can watch with interest as local champions Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior attempt to continue their unbeaten seasons.

The David Hayes-trained Ka Ying Rising is attempting his 20th win in succession in the HK$24 million Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize (1200m) and Danny Shum's Romantic Warrior is aiming for a fourth win in the HK$30 million Group 1 QEII Cup (2000m).

Newnham said racing is the "biggest show in town" in Hong Kong and the popularity of superstars Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior transcend the sport, ensuring a huge crowd for Champions Day at Sha Tin on Sunday.

"Ka Ying Rising is unbeatable,'' Newnham said. "He has a lap on them, he has a lap on them anywhere in the world.

"He wasn't even close to his best in The Everest and still win easily. He's a star, a freak.

"The times he runs consistently here are unbelievable. It is not like he does it once or twice, he does it every start.''

Newnham conceded Romantic Warrior has some "good competition" in the QEII Cup, particularly Japan's Masquerade Ball who pushed French superhorse Calandagan in the Japan Cup last year.

"But I tell you, Romantic Warrior is some horse, he doesn't seem to age,'' Newnham said.

"He keeps coming up each year and seems to be going as well as ever.''