Kissmet may have looked a touch dull in the paddock, but showed he has an engine following a slashing fourth in the Class Four Miraculous Handicap (1,200m).
The performance indicated the three-year-old can show his true colours when tackling longer journeys.
Peter Ho Leung, who established a personal milestone when cracking the 400-win mark on January 23, hasn't had much success in big races since the retirement of Packing Winner two seasons back, but will be pleased with what he has in his hands.
Kissmet caught the eye first-up in May when making up a good deal of ground after getting crowded at the start behind Mr Gourmet up the Sha Tin 1,000m straight before he kept on passing tiring runners after settling rearward from a wide gate to Regency Champion with a step up to 1,200m last month.
At his third start on Sunday with a proper gate and some solid workouts, the colt was sent out at 64-1. He was allowed to find his feet third from the rear and along the rails, switched to the outside of the favourite Graceful Kingdom passing the 300m before letting loose to clock a cracking 22.56 for the final 400m to the runaway winner Dining Star.
Kissmet is a son of the versatile and effective Snippets stallion Pins - the sire of 26 local winners, including the champion Ambitious Dragon - mated to Royal Academy mare Royal Kiss.
While Royal Kiss was winless through seven starts, though placed over 2,400m in Britain, she has successfully produced four winners from four starters, ranging from 1,200m to 2,100m.
