Brett Prebble added one more Hong Kong accomplishment to his list at Happy Valley yesterday as he joined an elite band of jockeys to have passed the 500-win mark.
And in keeping with the grand traditions of such moments, it was the humble Class Five galloper Winning Pal who provided that landmark, putting away the fourth race smartly as the middle pin of a Prebble treble that began with Many Gains and ended with Good Boy Boy.
Only Douglas Whyte, Tony Cruz, Basil Marcus, Gary Moore, Felix Cotzee and Gerald Mosse lie ahead of Prebble in Hong Kong racing's order of merit.
'Well, they aren't things you think about but it's nice when they come along,' Prebble said after dominating the day's Jockey Challenge, firming to odds of 1-100 by the halfway mark of the meeting.
Prebble was at his tactical best on Winning Pal for Michael Chang Chun-wai, making a point of getting into clear galloping room, despite a low draw.
'I thought the 1,650m might be a bit on the short side looking at his form, but Olivier Doleuze, who rides him a lot, told Michael he thought a mile would suit him and he was right,' Prebble said.
'I thought looking at his 1,800m run last time that he didn't appreciate going up on the inside of horses so I made sure to becoming around them this time and he won well. He's consistent and got a nice turn of foot for a lower-grade horse and I don't think he'll be out of place in Class Four with no weight.'