A cheap and untroubled 400 metres on the circle enabled the on-pace duo to kick too strongly for the backmakers in the home straight but it was the power of Floral Pegasus - steeled by two recent runs at 1,600m - that proved too much for Down Town.

'What we have seen today is the changing of the guard,' said trainer Tony Cruz. 'The older horses may have seen their day but now it's the turn of the younger ones. This horse [Floral Pegasus] has done so well in his career to date, but there is still a lot more to come. And I believe this horse has even greater potential.'

Winning jockey Gerald Mosse, who took the Chinese Club Challenge Cup for the third time following Helene Star (1993) and Scintillation last year, gave Cruz a hugely positive review.

'Gerald told me that this horse travelled beautifully with him throughout, but when he had to ask him for a bit more to shake off Down Town, he found another gear,' Cruz said.

Although Floral Pegasus found the top grade at a mile slightly beyond him at his previous two starts in the International Mile Trial and the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, Cruz will return him to 1,600m next start.

'He was beaten by the very best in those races,' Cruz said. 'But in the Classic Mile, he'll be meeting his own age group at level weights, so I don't have any doubt about his managing a mile under those conditions.'

The Group One Mercedes-Benz Classic Mile will be decided at Sha Tin on January 28, with the Group One Stewards' Cup - an all-aged race over the same distance at weight-for-age - to be run on the same afternoon.

Floral Pegasus stopped the clock at 1:20.6, just two-tenths of a second shy of the course record set by Flaming Lamborgini on a very firm track in the National Day Cup on October 1 but four-tenths of a second faster than the old benchmark of 1:21.0.

Floral Pegasus is a son of the 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, now making a name for himself as a quality sire in both hemispheres, while his dam Crown Crest is a daughter of the legendary racehorse and sire Mill Reef.

On breeding, Floral Pegasus should be a shoo-in to manage middle-distances but his muscular sprinting physiology and dazzling natural speed give lie to his pedigree.

While his owners harbour dreams of running Floral Pegasus in the Derby at 2,000m, Cruz is taking it one step at a time. Next stop the Classic Mile, and success there could lead him to try 1,800m in the Derby Trial. Down Town raced his heart out for an honourable second, beaten a neck, having crossed from barrier 13 in a gallant attempt to lead throughout.

The grey son of top sire Scenic had finished a late-closing fourth to Absolute Champion in the Hong Kong Sprint when connections chose to ride the former West Australian racer back in the field from another wide draw.

It ended up a quinella of the Frenchmen, Mosse and Doleuze, who had earlier dominated race one in reverse order with Speed of Light (Doleuze) defeating Miracle Dragon (Mosse) by a short head.