Six-year-old Happy Guys came out of left field to dent some big Derby-bound reputations in the final race, giving trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai surprise bookend winners for the day.
Part of another double for Zac Purton, Happy Guys brought his Happy Valley form to Sha Tin, and was able to outgun John Moore's Derby hopefuls Dan Excel (Jeff Lloyd), Military Attack and Same World at better than 50-1.
Yiu's opening race winner, Super Pepper had landed at 30-1, so he was hardly the punters' pin-up trainer, and Purton, enjoying his best season, wasn't making any apologies after the seventh straight meeting where he has won at least one race.
'Can't say I've actually got a Derby ride at this stage so I'm not too upset at upsetting them,' the Australian laughed. 'Happy Guys had a nice run behind the speed today. He is usually out there cutting the breeze in his races and this time I was just able to get in behind the leader, Aomen, to sit in second and give him a bit more of a breather.'
The effort by Dan Excel left Moore and Lloyd somewhat non-plussed heading on towards the Derby, while Military Attack (seventh) and particularly Same World had excuses.
'Same World was wide all the way so his effort for fifth was probably pretty good and Military Attack wasn't getting all the room he wanted down the straight,' said Moore, who hopes to have as many as six runners in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby on March 18.