Hong Kong’s most successful jockey, Douglas Whyte, reached a small but significant milestone with his 200th win as a trainer courtesy of Majestic Knight at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
Boasting a record 1,813 victories and 13 premierships in the saddle, Whyte trails only Tony Cruz’s total of 2,448 wins in the city across his own training and riding careers.
The South African horseman hung up his riding boots in 2019 and has added to his legacy since entering the training ranks later that year.
“Two hundred is very special, but there’s a lot of trainers that have achieved a lot more than me, so I’m at the bottom at the moment and stepping my way up,” Whyte said.
“It’s a nice achievement to accomplish and I’ve got a long way to go.”
Majestic Knight emphatically delivered 52-year-old Whyte his training milestone with a comfortable victory in the Class Two Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1,000m) under Hugh Bowman.
Capitalising on a dream run one-out and one-back, the $3.9 second elect ran on strongly to hit the front just before the 100m and surge clear.
The son of Redoute’s Choice beat the $3.8 favourite, Harmony N Blessed, by a length and a quarter, while pacesetter Nervous Witness held third.
Whyte has kept Majestic Knight fresh with regular stints at Conghua and the move has paid dividends with three victories – all at Happy Valley – this term.
“He’s been a very honest horse, a well-placed horse and he’s crept up in the ratings,” Whyte said.
“He’s just improved incrementally and got better and better. He’s a horse that gives you a lot and he needs a bit of a freshen up between runs, but this race was planned a long time ago and he’s delivered.”
Elsewhere, Pierre Ng Pang-chi set the scene for a big Champions Day assault with a Happy Valley double, extending his trainers’ premiership lead over Francis Lui Kin-wai to seven.
Second-season handler Ng will start emerging star Galaxy Patch and Taj Dragon in the Group One Champions Mile and talented galloper Mugen in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) on Sunday.
“It will be good to see how the horses perform in the sprint race and the mile for my stable,” Ng said.
“Galaxy Patch is going really well, he trialled really well and pulled up well. He just needs to be switched off and run his last 400m sectional fast and hopefully he can run top four.
“We tried the mile with Mugen and obviously he didn’t go well enough. We always thought he’s a very good sprinter. Now that Lucky Sweynesse is out, we just have to take our chance.”
Beauty Waves overcame a three-wide run without cover to narrowly win the Class Three Jeju Handicap (1,000m) for Zac Purton.
“He was tough,” Ng said of Beauty Waves, who is now two from two since a stable transfer. “It was a great performance from three wide all the way with top weight. Hopefully he can improve a little bit more and find one or two more wins for us.”
Ng sealed his brace when Andrea Atzeni booted home I Can in the Class Four Incheon Handicap (1,650m).
Purton ended a mini-drought, having gone winless at his previous three meetings, with a double after also booting home Benno Yung Tin-pang’s High Percentage in the first section of the Class Four Busan Handicap (1,200m).
Harry Bentley also registered a double, saluting aboard Ricky Yiu Poon-fai’s Sweet Diamond in the Class Five Yeongcheon Handicap (1,200m) and Chris So Wai-yin’s Our Lucky Glory in the second section of the Busan Handicap.
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