Trainer John Moore had tongue firmly in cheek after the beast was well and truly back in the east and Able Friend erased the nightmare of failure at Royal Ascot with a breathtaking return to racing at Sha Tin - at least everyone hoped he was kidding.

Over an unsuitable sprint distance in the Premier Bowl on Sunday, the world champion miler swooped from last at the 300m to upset the short-course horses heading for the Longines Hong Kong Sprint in December and had his trainer musing aloud.

GALLERY: Kenneth Chan's photos of all races at the Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy raceday on Sunday.

"Gee, maybe I could run him in the Hong Kong Sprint then back him up in the Mile later in the day - he could win both," laughed Moore.

But his quip had the unintended consequence of forcing him to reaffirm to some of the media that Able Friend would defend his Hong Kong Mile crown on December 13.

It was some kind of win for his stand-in jockey Karis Teetan - while the regular partner Joao Moreira rode third-placed Peniaphobia - set up by a blistering lead pace that was too fast for all the horses expected to be too fast for Able Friend over 1,200m.

"Maybe he can't take his form on the road and obviously his defeat at Royal Ascot was a disappointment but when you see him do that, it shows he is world-champion quality here - let the others come and take us on," Moore said after the big gelding put the job away in a fashion that reminded everyone loud and clear just why he is Horse of the Year.

A bow-tie theme was added for the first time to a meeting which annually shines a light on how last season's stars have returned and the news was bad for champion sprinter Aerovelocity, who had been talked down by trainer Paul O'Sullivan and jockey Zac Purton leading up to the race and lived up to the lack of hype.

Aerovelocity finished last and pulled up with a heart irregularity and an internal bleed.

In the Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy, John Size-trained favourite Contentment won for the eighth time in 11 starts and continued down his path towards the Jockey Club Mile and Hong Kong Mile, but life isn't going to get any easier from here on.

He loses his regular pilot Moreira in the Jockey Club Mile next month but that isn't the worst of the news.

Moreira is jumping ship to rejoin Able Friend, who will oppose Contentment next time. Ouch.