He might run out of time to make the Classic Mile field, but Packing Angel could be bound for the final two legs of the four-year-old series after making the leap to Class Three level with aplomb at Sha Tin on Sunday.

After getting off the mark with a dominant Class Four triumph on his previous start, there were high expectations for the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained gelding when he was sent off the $2 favourite in Sunday’s Broadwood Handicap (1,400m).

And while the performance wasn’t as explosive as his December 8 romp by almost three lengths, Packing Angel proved too strong for a competitive field to make it two in a row.

“He’s got a long way to go on ratings, but he’s a young horse on the way up,” Purton said after Packing Angel held off Kaholo Angel to win by three-quarters of a length.

“He’s improving all the time and it was a pretty soft win in the end. There’s a bit more there.”

Packing Angel had a dream run in fourth position and loomed ominously in the straight, but was made to work hard by the Caspar Fownes-trained Kaholo Angel.

Packing Angel responded to the challenge, lifting late under Purton’s hands-and-heels riding to press his late case for a Classic Mile berth on January 31.

“I think he’ll get maybe six or seven points and be [rated] around 70, so maybe he won’t make the Classic Mile,” Lui said of Packing Angel, who boasted a rating of just 63 before Sunday’s win.

“But he could go to the other four-year-old series races if he keeps progressing. He’s a nice horse. He’s young and keeps improving.”

The Classic Cup (1,800m) on March 2 and the city’s most prestigious race, the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) on March 23, could suit Packing Angel. His sire, Shocking, won the Group One Melbourne Cup over 3,200m.

He clinched a double for each of Purton and Lui, with the former moving to within eight wins of Douglas Whyte’s all-time Hong Kong record after also booting home Circuit Jolly in the Class Four Tai Tsai Handicap (1,000m).

“Two wins is always a good result, but a couple of things didn’t quite go right in races – I had a few people taking me on, making it hard but that’s Hong Kong,” Purton said after taking his career tally to 1,805 wins in the city.

Baby Crystal delivered Lui the first leg of his double with a powerful triumph in the Class Three Tai Tong Shan Handicap (1,000m) under Alexis Pouchin, who scored his second victory in Hong Kong.

Circuit Jolly was also the first leg of a double for David Hayes, who shot to third in the trainers’ championship on 23 wins after also claiming the Class Four Po Leung Kuk Cup (1,800m) on dirt with Ariel.

Hayes snapped a frustrating streak of 49 runners without a winner when Circuit Jolly made all, scoring his first success at start four.

“I thought going through the 200m he might win by four lengths, but Zac said he was really looking at things still,” Hayes said.

“He’s a very immature horse but with plenty of ability.”