On a track that seemed to give leaders an extra kick after turning, trainer Michael Chang Chung-wai turned his frustrating early season record around at the expense of favourite backers with a double at Wednesday night's all-dirt meeting at Sha Tin.
Chang had one win and nine seconds heading into the meeting, before Winning Apex caused an upset at 24-1 - in a short-head, short-head finish - and New Glory lowered the colours of Bobo Dragon in the last.
The trainer was thanking jockey Olivier Doleuze for the first win, for race programming advice as well as his ride, but said New Glory's effort was due to the fast lane on the rail.
"It was just all about the leader bias in that race," Chang said after impressive rookie Karis Teetan continued at a win per meeting rate with his tenth of the term.
New Glory was backed into 7.3 at jump time, and Bobo Dragon was sent out around 2.7 but was again beaten as favourite, and later was found to have bled.
Winning Apex took care of the shortest priced runner of night, 1.9 shot Invictus - who was beaten into third after it appeared he would get the better of second pick Double Glory - only for Chang's roughie to arrive late.
"To be honest, I hadn't thought to run this horse on the dirt - it was Olly's idea," Chang said, referring to Olivier Doleuze, who later brought up a double on Richard Gibson's Turin Pearl.
All eight favourites on the card were rolled, and Chang wasn't spared at least some of the pain as Turin Pearl beat his 4.8 top pick Danewin Tiger and gave him yet another second.
Gibson called Turin Pearl a horse that needed to "grow and mature" after three unplaced runs last season. "We were very confident, he is a PP we bought last year and we thought he would be good on the dirt. Gelding him has helped, too," Gibson said.
Vincent Ho Chak-yiu also had a double including victory on Green Zone for popular owner Manu Melwani - also known as Sam The Tailor - after earlier causing the biggest upset of the night on Me Tsui Yu-sak's Danesouth.
Danesouth ran terribly last weekend but was able to turn his form around, after he was backed into HK$45 late. "I really can't explain it," Tsui said after the race. "Maybe it was the extra fitness and he was trapped wide the other day."
Francis Lui Kin-wai felt he was "halfway beat already" when Loads Of Joy drew gate 12 on Monday, but Gerald Mosse managed to find the front and the seven-year-old kicked away to notch his fifth course and distance victory.
"I wasn't confident but the track was favouring the front runners, and Gerald got him away well and the horse travelled nicely," he said. "There's not much we can do with him, it's either here or Happy Valley 1,200m."
Chris So Wai-yin had jockey Tye Angland to thank for the ride of the night on Perfect Joy, and the horse's former trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong for a recommendation to owners.
"Dennis came to me in the off-season and asked if there was anything he could help me with, and he was letting this horse go and asked the owners to send to me," So said.
Alex Lai Hoi-wing was suspended for three days for his ride aboard Lotus Love in the first race.
