Jockey Club officials again did a poor job of concealing their mirth as turnover all but touched the rare billion dollar barrier on the mixed all-weather and turf card. The pari-mutuel handle fell just over HK$6 million short of a billion - up by over HK$78 million on last year's meeting - but the bigger story was that the boost of Jockey Challenge betting more than tipped it over the edge.Yesterday's Challenge attracted a record hold before the meeting began, and then a record in-play handle as

Jockey Club officials again did a poor job of concealing their mirth as turnover all but touched the rare billion dollar barrier on the mixed all-weather and turf card. The pari-mutuel handle fell just over HK$6 million short of a billion - up by over HK$78 million on last year's meeting - but the bigger story was that the boost of Jockey Challenge betting more than tipped it over the edge.

Yesterday's Challenge attracted a record hold before the meeting began, and then a record in-play handle as well, with a total of around HK$11 million bet on the jockey honours by the time it closed.

"It was really fantastic and I'm sure that the turnover was helped by having our top three jockeys on the table, Brett Prebble, Matthew Chadwick and Douglas Whyte see-sawing for the lead and favouritism in the early races," said chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

Prebble had been $3.50 before running right away with the first on Fortune Dragon in a result that saw him shorten to $1.90 favouritism before Chadwick hit back with the next two races to go favourite, then the overnight odds-on favourite, Whyte, put the game to bed in the back half of the programme with a treble.

Prebble said he was unaware that cellar-dweller Fortune Dragon was running away with the Class Five by almost five lengths - which will surely earn him a big ratings hike.

"Put it this way - I kept him going because he didn't feel like he was finding the line that strongly," Prebble said.

"I think the margin was flattered by the other Class Fivers not getting to the line or just giving up.

"Plenty of them do." (www.racing.scmp.com)