To the naysayers and the soothsayers and the toothache sayers and tooth fairies who might have been thinking that Douglas“The Durban Demon” Whyte was resting on his laurels and playing with the pixies, well, think again.
The Durban Demon, or, as some like to call him, “The Whyte Man”- which would only go down real well at a KKK meeting – came roaring back last night at a Happy Wednesday Oktoberfest evening swelling with crowds like we have never ever seen before – over 20,000 people at a Happy Valley night meeting – with not one, not two, but FOUR winners last night.
And if not for being beaten by a short-head in race 3 by yet another “gift” from trainer David Hall to hard-working and battling Terry C W Wong – it could have been a five-timer.
The Demon was on fire.
The Tip Of The Day to us was when Whyte rode a pound over on trainer Me Y S Tsui’s Fortune Together, plus having done all the trackwork on the horse.
The jockey would find it tough to ride a horse at 120 pounds after a two day suspension.
But ride this one he did – at 117 pounds – and it came in at 17 to 1.
17 to 1 on a Douglas Whyte horse????
Talk softly and carry a big stick, and one can collect on these rarities.
Just have The Patience of Job.
In this same race, despite the pundit nehrus saying that Surfer Boy, this time ridden by Alvin “The Chipmunk”, was a shoe-in, somewhere, the horse shoe fell off.
Quite frankly, we have no idea anymore about the rave reviews we received about young Alvin before he arrived back in Hong Kong …
Perhaps the hype was too heavy on the head that wears the thorny crowns and the kid is feeling the pressures of riding in Hong Kong.
And, for the first time, riding against senior and International caliber riders – like, er, The Whyte Man.
Whatever it is, even with his ten pound allowance and all the good rides given to him, he’s not exactly banging them in.
His ride on Surfer Boy was a shocker.
Wait till Howard The Quack Quack Cheng gets back on it.
Or, “The Whyte Man.”.
But, we hear, the owner(s) want “odds.”
And this is fine as long as the horse comes in.
If not, they’re stuffed as buggery – as are those who follow with their ears.
Also, going through a lean trot is trainer Caspar Fownes.
Once the “King Of The Valley”, at the moment – and the season is young – it’s more like the Valley Of The Dhals.
When hot-pot Snitzel Kid failed to salute in Race 3 last night, we grabbed our hearts and went, “Uh oh. There’s something not very fine with his horses plus they are way under the odds.”
Same with jockey Brett Prebble.
Know the saying about when the cat’s away, the mice will play?
Well, “The Whyte Man” was back after a two week suspension.
During his time on the sidelines, did Prebble make any headway in the Hong Kong Jockeys Championship?
Of course, he dd.
He was banging them harder than the hardest porn star.
But the moment his answer to kryptonite was back – Whyte-o-nite – Prebble seemed to lose the plot and wilt.
He looked an insecure rider and not the force that he is normally.
He was suddenly flaccid.
There was no power.
This is what makes Douglas Whyte that much more special:
He rises to the occasion and it’s all about action speaking louder than words.
Keep following “The Whyte Man” this weekend.
If not him, keep following Douglas Whyte.
We reckon he’ll take off where he left off tonight.
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