But, as Easy's point score climbed in recent weeks with three straight wins, Fownes was forced to run Socrates at last night's final meeting of the contest needing only a first-four placing in the sixth race to secure the HK$650,000 first prize.

It didn't come. Socrates was caught off the track from a wide draw on the treacherous C rail placement and finished last to Silver Sun, leaving the door ajar for Easy to claim half the result in the Challenge only if he could win the following race.

Ridden to perfection by Howard Cheng Yue-tin, Easy didn't quite win as his name would suggest, but after a struggle down the straight with Friendly Gains, he finally drew away to win by half a length and claim a share of the HVMC.

'He's quite a character this horse. When he works, he only does whatever he feels like doing, but he switches on here at Happy Valley in his races,' said Lui, who asked Cheng to have the gelding closer last night.

'He was up a grade tonight and had a light weight so with not much speed apparent in the race, I asked Howard to put him up closer. Easy's done a great job and been a real surprise packet - he deserves a bit of a break now, and then we'll bring him back to try for five.

Eventually I guess he'll have to race again at Sha Tin, but he can stay here as long as there are races for him.'

Cheng's bliss at scoring landed him a HK$5,000 fine as his attention deviated from the job in hand during a celebratory gesture near the post that saw Easy tighten runner-up Friendly Gains and stewards took a dim view of the action.

The owners of Socrates and Easy shared the HK$900,000 aggregate first and second prizes for the Million Challenge, and Fownes was philosophical: 'Easy has done a fantastic job to be able to pull back the big lead we had but I'm still very pleased - if someone had told me in August that Socrates would win four races here and halve the Million Challenge, I'd have said they were crazy.'

Fownes also took third place in the competition with Excellent Boy.

Anthony Delpech has been having a lean time of it but he left with his confidence up and a big prediction after landing a double on Island Speed and last season's Million Challenge winner, Amo.

'It's a nice change of luck and just in time for the Gold Cup on Sunday,' said Delpech, who rides Vengeance Of Rain in the Group One contest. 'And I tell you what - he's flying and he will win the Gold Cup.'

Ride of the night went to Olivier Doleuze, who landed a double on Brown Beauty for Derek Cruz and Master Dreamer for Gary Ng Ting-keung and the former was a beauty indeed. Brown Beauty has been desperately trying to win all season but things haven't fallen into place, but Doleuze kept at the gelding throughout the race to keep his position along the rail and ensured that the breaks went the seven-year-old's way.

'He came back this season well after bleeding, but he walks out of the gates,' observed Cruz. 'He tries hard and when he gets that sort of a run, poking up the inside where Olivier kept him pushing through tonight, he's very effective.'

Manoel Nunes found bother in the stewards room on Lambro in race two, causing interference at the 600m and received two days' suspension and a HK$30,000 fine for his trouble.