Rising French star Freddie Sanchez produced two delightful and contrasting rides to notch a Happy Valley double last night and dispel any lingering doubts about his future place in the higher reaches of Hong Kong racing.
Sanchez produced a quality performance on the Bruce Hutchison-trained Red Zone (8-1) to take the second event - a week after being in front of the stewards over the same horse - and followed up 30 minutes later with a pearl of a front-running ride on Harvard (7-1) to seal the twosome.
Red Zone and Colourful Era (10-1) were the last two into the straight on a track riding fast but Sanchez drove the grey Irish import forcefully through the centre to take it up and win solidly.
Last week over 1,000 metres, Red Zone had again been slow into stride and connections were before the stewards - although it is clear that Red Zone is no longer possessed of the early pace that characterised his early Hong Kong runs.
Last night over the longer Valley sprint for Class Two horses, Red Zone was not so inconvenienced coming from behind and Sanchez, not known to panic, rode with a steely calmness that suggests he has a most promising future here.
The former French champion apprentice then made maximum use of Harvard's rails draw in the Class Four, 1,650-metre third event. He broke on top and hugged the rails early, judging the pace to perfection and then kicking on that extra length in the straight that put paid to his pursuers.