Those who knew her best said goodbye to apprentice Willy Kan Wai-yue when total silence enveloped Sha Tin racecourse on the stroke of 7pm last night.
There was no sound from the tears that slipped slowly down many cheeks.
The ticket-selling machines that churn through the millions of dollars that keep Hong Kong racing going fell silent.
The flashing odds on the two huge totalisator boards on the course - and those across the territory at the city track - faded into blackness.
On the Sha Tin Diamond Vision screen, Kan's smiling face appeared for the last time with the simple message: In Loving Memory Of Willy Kan.
Jockey Club officials, racing media and the thousands of ordinary racegoers who took the 20-year-old to their hearts stood or sat with heads bowed for 60 thoughtful, silent seconds.
There were 9,574 racegoers at Sha Tin and another 2,753 at Happy Valley when the one-minute vigil began.