That was just 0.1 seconds outside the track record set by former Group One sprinter Tajasur in April 2000, and the performance underlined the high promise of both the unbeaten winner and the runner-up.

Though confirming that Always Flying is a promising young sprinter, Mosse said he was not getting too overwhelmed by the fast time under yesterday's track conditions.

'This is a nice young horse but the track is very fast - even a donkey could run a fast time today,' he said. 'In the Class Four race they also ran under 56 seconds. I think if Silent Witness ran on this track today, he would smash the record. But take nothing away from Always Flying, he won his race well.'

Olivier Doleuze (Triumphant Unicorn) said he had known before the event that the Danny Shum Chap-shing-trained gelding had a tough task ahead to beat Always Flying, even with a 12-pound weight pull, but he came away from the clash with great credit.

'Always Flying had raced in Australia before he came here and my horse had not,' he explained. 'I knew that the favourite would probably be a more mature horse than mine and anyway I don't really think Triumphant Unicorn is a 1,000-metres horse. I think he is more of a 1,400-metre horse the way he moves.'

Doleuze said he was surprised to lead in yesterday's event but didn't dare ease on Triumphant Unicorn when he found himself there.

'I thought Always Flying would have more speed than me but my horse began so well and he has such a lovely, big action that, when I was in front, I didn't want to wait with him,' he said.

'I just let him flow and hoped he could beat the others with his big stride. The winner was probably always going to just win but Triumphant Unicorn kept fighting and I really like him.'

A son of Silent Witness' sire El Moxie, Always Flying had upset smart Country Music at his Hong Kong debut down the straight course and his narrow win at odds-on kept him unbeaten and set up a double for Mosse and the absent Hayes.

The pair also won the ninth with Pacific Alliance as assistant trainer Almond Lee deputised for Hayes, who is now putting pressure on second-placed Tony Cruz in the trainers' standings.

'David is in Australia at the yearling sales in Sydney, but Always Flying was expected to win and did so nobody can say I didn't follow my instructions,' Lee laughed.

'The other horse was a bit more of a surprise, Pacific Alliance. In the UK, he was just a sprinter but somehow since he got here he has become a bit slower so we took the chance with him at 2,000 metres and they went just the right pace. Pacific Alliance has pulled a bit in his races even at a mile before but today the leaders went 23 seconds for the first 400 metres and that's about the right speed for this horse so he doesn't over-race.'

It was the 12th start for Pacific Alliance, who had not placed until yesterday, but Lee believes the acclimatisation factor has been the problem.

'The horses from the UK seem to take the longest to acclimatise,' he said. 'Pacific Alliance has been here a year now, so he looks like he is just starting to put it together.'

Yesterday's double continued Hayes' surge in recent weeks and took him 45 wins, just two behind Cruz and one ahead of John Moore, who also had a double.

Reigning champion John Size remained winless on the day but still in command with 54 victories as the group chasing him begins to bunch up.

It might well have been three for the day for Hayes and Mosse in the final event when warm favourite Green Channel went down to Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained Magnifier (Doleuze).

Green Channel became snookered between horses at a vital stage, moving chief steward Jamie Stier to note the horse had raced 'without much luck' in finishing fourth.