Champion jockey Zac Purton returned from suspension with a winning double yesterday but was gone again by the day's end and only a good recent riding record stopped him having to choose between Hong Kong and Japan.

Purton won the opening event for Manfred Man Ka-leung on Mighty Gains then on Brilliant Shine for Dennis Yip Chor-hong, but it was the first of them that landed him in hot water.

Purton seized the nettle on Mighty Gains to pushed forward and race outside the leader Xi Ying Men early, but he caught the favourite, and runner-up, Kingston Jumbo (Douglas Whyte) on the way through before prevailing by a neck.

Stewards found him guilty of careless riding, but Purton's penalty of a two-day ban reflected his clean record over the last couple of years, and he will still be available for both the World Super Jockeys Series in Japan and the Longines International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley - three days would have forced him to miss one or the other.

"It was lucky, it falls right in between," said Purton, who pulled one win back on title leader Joao Moreira, who had just a solitary win with Pablosky.

Last weekend, after Industrialist Way's success, Dennis Yip said he would attempt to qualify that horse for the Hong Kong Derby but that Brilliant Shine was his stable elect for the race and the stable elect maintained his status by scrambling in over 1,400m yesterday in Class Three.

"I don't know about the Derby," said Purton. "He's always given the impression he'll run a little further, even though his wins are all 1,400m, but I just think 2,000m might be a bit far. Still, he's only a four-year-old once so if Dennis and the owners want to go down that path then that's their call.

"He can try a mile now and then we'll know more but the horse's attitude is not in question. That's three on the bounce now and he was out on his feet at the 150m and still kept on trying. Brilliant Shine gives you everything and that's a big help."

Mighty Gains has turned his career around after looking quite moderate for some time, with yesterday's 1,200m dirt win his second Class Five over the course this season.

"The way the dirt was today, you had to be right up there and luckily I had a horse who has that style anyway," Purton said. "And he improved a bit - the first time he won, he had gate one and a soft run and he had to do it harder today working from a wider gate. He probably needs to take things up a notch for Class Four but he should stay in the grade for this win and at least now he's looking a handier sort of horse.

"We've seen it before - the longer they're here and the more seasoned they get, horses can improve and he's still only fairly lightly raced so he has time."