Improving galloper Outgate rose to new heights to land a career-best victory and play a pivotal role in Tony Cruz landing a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

Sent off the $2.95 favourite in the Class Two EWO Challenge Trophy (1,650m), Outgate sealed a running double for Cruz and Angus Chung Yik-lai after they also won the Class Four Dianthus Handicap (1,200m) with Flying Wrote.

Cruz said Outgate’s half-length win over Yellowfin in a driving finish was a sign of things to come, with the former British galloper continuing to blossom in his second Hong Kong campaign.

“He’s a horse who was always going to bloom late because he didn’t acclimatise straight away,” said Cruz, who later sealed a treble when Red Hare King won the Class Three Chamomile Handicap (1,650m) under Hugh Bowman.

“He’s still quite lightly raced and if you look back at his early days in Hong Kong, he always had problems and health issues.

“Now he’s an improving horse and there’s still improvement to come – Group Three maybe is the maximum for him.”

Chung bided his time when the race changed complexion in the middle stages, with an early slow speed prompting Zac Purton (Moments In Time) and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu (Helene Feeling) to send their respective mounts forward.

Despite being shuffled back to fourth, Outgate responded to Chung’s urgings in the final 100m to chase down Yellowfin and Moments In Time.

“He’s got a good record here [at Happy Valley] and he won last time on a yielding track as well,” Cruz said.

“He seems to like a slightly slower track.”

Chung has been on board Outgate in 11 of his 13 starts this term, which have also included four seconds.

“Outgate is in very good form,” Chung said.

“I expected the pace would be quicker, but I trusted the horse and waited for the last part and the sprint and he did very well.”

Chung continued his push for the award named in honour of his boss, the Tony Cruz Award. With 46 wins this season, the 27-year-old rider leads the race for the leading home-grown jockey by 12 over Ho.

“I’m looking for that and hopefully I’m keeping the performance [going] and the end of season I can still be leading the Tony Cruz Award,” Chung said.

After two encouraging runs to start his career, three-year-old Flying Wrote broke through when he led all the way to fight off Travel Golf by a neck.

Bowman joined Chung with a double after also booting home Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Comet Splendido in the Class Four Bellflower Handicap (1,650m).

Elsewhere, speed machine Youthful Spirits claimed his first Hong Kong win after making all in the Class Three Violet Handicap (1,000m) for Purton and Mark Newnham.

“He’s very fast, a little one dimensional but if he puts up performances like that it won’t be his last win,” Newnham said after Youthful Spirits bolted in by two lengths.

“Once he got in there and kept running he was always going to be hard to run down.”

Caspar Fownes lived up to his King of the Valley tag, celebrating his 600th winner at the city circuit when Charming Steed made all in the Class Five Aster Handicap (1,650m) under Ellis Wong Chi-wang.

“It’s massive, it’s such a big number and I’m going to keep on building on that over the next few years, hopefully, and I’m very happy,” Fownes said.

“I’ve had a lot of support from my owners, my family and my stable staff. It’s wonderful.”