IT WAS just like old times as the cigar-smoking, Cossack-hatted Brian Kan Ping-chee celebrated New Year with a brace of winners. It's been a while since Kan was officially champion trainer but he is still The Champ to a lot of people and his well-prepared double yesterday certainly gave credence to the accolade. Kan produced wet trackers Medic Star (16-1) and Good Connection (5-1) to take full advantage of the prevailing conditions and post a back-to-back double early on in the lengthy Sha Tin proceedings. Medic Star, with stable claimer Eden H. K. Cheung aboard, has always enjoyed real cut in the ground and combined with a fast pace, it made him a better bet than his starting price suggested. As it was, the five-year-old gelding simply moved up a gear in the going and swamped the opposition, posting a length-and-a-quarter win over evens favourite Hong Kong Legend who tried desperately to get on terms in the Class Two longer sprint. Winning Horse (9-1) ran a stout race to finish third with Kay Hsing (6-1) disappointing in finishing sixth. Kan, puffing contentedly, said: 'When I saw how heavy the rain had been and that it was continuing, I knew immediately that there was a very good chance of a double. 'I rang up some of my owners and suggested the double to them. Medic Star is really very good in wet ground and he was fit going into the race and probably had a chance anyway. 'Good Connection has run some good races for me but his Irish form was in the wet and I knew he would go close.' Good Connection was strongly supported to confirm the stable's belief that the ground would be in favour of the Hong Kong maiden breaking his duck and he did that emphatically. In a good finish, the wide-running Good Connection powered home to score a length win over Grand Commander (16-1) who ran right up to a recent encouraging trial at Happy Valley and some good trackwork. Good Connection was another good winner for South African ace Felix Coetzee who may not be with retaining trainer Kan next season but, on his form this season, should be picking up another job here. The big disappointment of the race was topweight and favourite Braveheart (5-2) who was never a factor in the Class Three mile event in which he eventually finished eighth. Braveheart had run most encouragingly on his debut but may not have been at home on the ground while Classic Boy (6-1) did not look like following up on a recent Valley success.