Rising star of match racing Gavin Brady will today find out just how close he is to becoming a major force in the sport when he takes on world number one and reigning champion Russell Coutts in the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup in Hamilton Harbour.

It will be the first time Brady, who served notice of his potential by becoming the youngest skipper to win the prestigious Congressional Cup in California in 1996 which he then successfully defended earlier this year, has raced Coutts. It is a challenge he's relishing.

He told The Royal Gazette : "We've raced all the top 10 apart from Russell, so it's a good test for us and a chance to find out how good we are and what we still have to work at.

"It's a step up -- he's number one in the world and we've been match racing for two years -- but we had a team meeting in which we said it was really a no-lose situation for us.'' Brady, who was born and brought up in New Zealand but was spirited away to sail under the Hong Kong flag, added: "It's good that we've got the chance to do battle over five races rather than in the round robin and I'll be hoping to mix it with them and disappointed if we don't keep it close.'' America's Cup-winning skipper Coutts, who is looking for a fifth triumph -- a record in the prize money era -- is well aware of the threat his youthful opponent poses.

He said: "He's one of the young guys who's come up through the grades. In the future, if not today, he's going to be one of the greats of match racing.

"He's been sailing with some good guys like Peter Evans, who I had with me when I won the world championships.'' He's aware too that Brady's rise is representative of a general improvement in the standard of match racing itself.

"More teams are exposed to top level racing now,'' he said. "In the past, two or three teams used to be dominant -- now any one of the top 10 can win an event.'' However, Coutts, while admitting that the Gold Cup may not be his number one priority, dismisses suggestions he could be losing his appetite for a tournament which he has almost made his own.

"I always say it's better to win than not,'' he said. "I guess we haven't had a lot of time in these boats, but I think we've got as good a chance as ever.'' Meanwhile, Bermudian interest will focus on local hero Peter Bromby, who disposed of the seeded Jochen Schuemann in convincing fashion on Wednesday.

He'll be bidding for a first appearance in the semi-finals, but to do so he'll have to beat world match racing champion Peter Gilmour, winner in 1995. It's a task he thinks his team is equal to. And then, who knows what? But Bromby isn't ruling out a place in Sunday's final.

"We've raced Peter twice here and lost both times but it was very close on each occasion,'' he said.

"We feel that we can beat him. And we know if we do there's still a long road ahead of us.

"But we've always felt that we could go all the way. We just need a few breaks on the day.'' The other two quarter-finals throw up equally intriguing encounters. Ed Baird, the American number three seed, who worked as coach to Team New Zealand's yacht Black Magic when it won the America's Cup two years ago, comes up against the tactician in that team, Murray Jones.

And the competition is sure of a Holmberg in the semi-finals, with the pairing of Magnus, the fifth-seed Swede and Peter, the ever improving Virgin Islander, who has had an impressive year. Racing starts at 9.30 this morning.

AUSSIE RULES -- World match race champion Peter Gilmour, pictured during his victory over Russian Andrew Arbuzov, now stands in the way of a first Gold Cup semi-final appearance for Bermudian skipper Peter Bromby.