Magic at the Valley was a promotion the Jockey Club had used earlier this month, but Joao Moreira brought it back last night with a four-timer that ripped the heart from the Happy Valley card and turned attention to just how many the Brazilian might win this season.
As the halfway mark of the season - at least in terms of the number of race meetings - ticked over, Moreira's quadrella took him to 72 wins, a very comfortable buffer of 26 over nearest rival Zac Purton and a good start on dismantling Douglas Whyte's 114-win record by some time in May.
A dominant Jockey Challenge favourite, Magic Man Moreira might have had his followers worried after Dragon continued his disappointing career with another unplaced run, but the world was back on its axis after the second event.
Moreira had John Size-trained Go-Getter much closer to the lead from a good draw and a light weight did the rest as the lightly-raced four-year-old broke through for his maiden win.
He continued Size's consistent chipping away at the championship leaders lately, landing a single win at each of the last six programmes, and creeping into joint third after last night's win.
From there, Moreira made a procession of it with armchair rides on Happy Homing for Francis Lui Kin-wai and Star Majestic for Paul O'Sullivan, with Derek Cruz-trained Harbour Punk sandwiched in between.
Harbour Punk was returning from a bleeding attack on the straight course at Sha Tin in September and Cruz believes the style of that course was behind the problem.
"When he raced up the straight, he wasn't able to get a second breath, that's why he bled," Cruz said.
"But around the turns here, there is a less pressure. He can breathe and Joao gave him plenty of room in the straight. I think we'll be keeping him at Happy Valley now."
Star Majestic took out the feature race for O'Sullivan and Moreira, the second leg of a winning double for the trainer after Glamorous Ryder (Derek Leung Ka-chun) in the Class Five staying event and it was a second win on end for Star Majestic.
The gelding had been in danger of receiving a "non-winner" tag before his breakthrough last time and was never going to be beaten last night.
"I do think he's a little bit stronger horse now," O'Sullivan said. "He can do a bit through the run and still give a kick at the finish.
"Last year, he loomed two or three times and couldn't go through with it. He's a nice bread and butter sort of horse who is going to win his race or two a season."
Maxime Guyon snapped up the sixth win of his stint, which has a little over a week to run, when Let Me Do was an overdue winner for trainer Chris So Wai-yin in the seventh.
"He hasn't had the best of luck or he would have won before now," said So.
"When he drew wide gates, he didn't have the best luck in running, which you expect, but even when he has drawn well, that has continued.
"From gate three last time, he was three wide and from gate four tonight, he was also three wide again, but he got the job done this time. The owner is happy and I'm happy."
In the stewards' room, Neil Callan was on the wrong end of the law for the fourth time this season, collecting three days on the bench over his ride on Longwah Amber in the race won by Let Me Do.
With a careless riding suspension due to start on February 22 and finish on March 5, Callan was allowed to defer the new penalty until after Derby Day, March 15, so he can keep the ride on nominal Derby favourite, Beauty Only.
