Booking of title leader Purton is a huge pointer for Band Of Brothers at Sha Tin

Above
6.15 Sha Tin
2pts win

Band Of Brothers
10.15 Sha Tin
2pts win

Duke Wai
10.50 Sha Tin
2pts win

Zac Purton rode another winning double on a bread and butter Wednesday at Happy Valley, but for the defending champion it was almost as good as a Group 1 triumph on one of Hong Kong's marquee racedays.

Why? Because with those two winners, the Australian forged one ahead of arch rival Joao Moreira in their ongoing title battle that promises to go down to the wire in the style of the Cauthen-Eddery tussle for the British crown in 1987.

The scoreboard reads: Purton 90, Moreira 89.

Moreira had built up a sizeable lead in the first half of the season, but Wednesday was a turning point as Purton inched his way to the front. Now he will be determined to stay ahead, and Band Of Brothers, in the Class 3 mile handicap (10.15) at Sha Tin on Sunday, gives him another chance to do just that.

Purton is the only jockey to have won on four-time winner Band Of Brothers, who is a strapping son of the July Cup winner Sakhee's Secret, and the fact that he is back in the saddle after a long absence is a huge pointer.

Purton last partnered him in October last year, winning a 7f handicap at Sha Tin. It is fair to say the gelding struggled in three subsequent runs at Class 2 level, but dropping a grade, and from gate three, he is a solid bet to land this competitive heat.

Even with Purton in the mix, no jockey is riding in better form than Grant Van Niekerk, and for this reason alone his mount, the South African import Cot Campbell, is worthy of inclusion in multiples with Band Of Brothers. He goes very well for Van Niekerk, who has ridden two trebles already this season.

With the clocks going forward in Britain this weekend, there will be additional action from Hong Kong at what could be described as a civil hour, but even so, the John Moore-trained stayer Above, in the Class 4 1m2f handicap (6.15), is an early bird worth setting the alarm for.

Above is a typical New Zealand stayer, boasting a stamina-packed pedigree that will always comes to the fore in a low-class staying handicap such as this. He is a son of Tavistock (Montjeu), who also produced one of Moore's great horses of recent years, Werther.

Moreira, who has previously won on Above, will have options from gate seven, which is to his advantage with such a short run to the first bend. Hugh Bowman was aboard the gelding last time when he finished a creditable second over course and distance last month.

Save something for the finale, the Class 2 6f handicap sprint (10.50), in which the O'Sullivan-trained Duke Wai is expected to find the return to this distance much more to his liking.

Last time, he was marooned on the 5f straight course from a far-side draw, and he could never get a crack at the action on the stands' rail. But he was still close at the finish, beaten only a neck, yet again underlining his great potential.

The son of Per Incanto had put together a winning sequence of four earlier in the campaign and is a very smart type.

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