By Hans Ebert @HansEbertMusic Visit: www.hans-ebert.com
Of course, he’ll be have his fair share of Group 1 stable stars. From what one knows, he already has quite a few Private Purchases with that X factor raring to make their debuts.
Douglas Whyte didn’t win thirteen consecutive Hong Kong championship titles without learning and evolving as he grew in stature and making the time to understand the lay of the land.
With him being Hong Kong’s latest trainer, it’s no doubt why he used his summer break to absorb all the training techniques of some of the most successful people in horse racing around the world.
As a rider, the Whyte Size McHappy Meal was brilliant at beating the handicapper by having their horses do just enough to win, especially on those new purchases in the lower classes with always more rating points in hand.
As he steps out next season as a trainer and ready, willing and able to take on everything and everyone thrown his way, Douglas Whyte, the astute, focused and determined businessman, will be at the fore ensuring that his stable is never a one trick pony. There will be carefully chosen owners with gallopers in all classes- and all having winning chances in all classes.
This strategy should give some of the less well-known stables with horses in these classes the shudders and shingles and tingles.
With his Assistant Trainer being former local rider Vincent Sit, below far right, who, despite hardly being a star jockey, would have definitely built up a number of contacts over the years, one can bet that the Douglas Whyte stable won’t exactly be hurting for winners spread across the board, a strategy also not lost on Caspar Fownes and, to an extent, John Size.
It’s a strategy based on spreading that “wealth around” and how a winner is a winner.
This move by Whyte, which seems obvious for especially a “startup” in the training ranks, should add some much needed pizazz to the lower class races that have almost always been a playground for those trainers happy to have a stranglehold on these cellar dwellers.
The playground will suddenly have a new purpose, focus and will be forced to grow up fast. No longer will they be there for the sake of being there with the first two races of every race meeting being a showcase for a few struggling warmup acts.
Of course with everyone expecting Douglas Whyte to hit the ground running, there’ll be enormous pressure to succeed. But pressure is something he almost relishes. It drives him. Makes him more determined. And makes him the professional that he is.
He’s seen it all, heard it all and plays everything close to his chest.
One of his biggest critics when riding recently called me. He wanted to know whether I could help him get his latest purchase into the Whyte yard.
Having had to endure years of childish messages like, “Tell your mate, he should give up riding” and “Your crap jockey mate just f…ed up a big 3×1”, it was interesting to receive his message. It was even better to reply, “But I thought you weren’t a fan of Douglas ?” The tap dancing was so loud to the tune of various lame excuses that I just blocked him from ever contacting me. Who needs this crap?
Yes, I know Douglas Whyte. Have done for a very long time. Would I ask him for favours? No. Do I ask him for information? What for? That would be like him asking me about music, something he knows basically nothing about.
What Douglas Whyte knows is that I have always had his back. It’s an unspoken loyalty.
Watching from the sidelines these days at those peddling extremely hard to get into his good books is amusing- especially some who knocked him unmercifully when he was coming to the end of his riding career.
Pressing that “like” button on his Instagram page (@canridehorses), another example of Douglas Whyte playing by his own rules and controlling his “content”, other than showing up what some might describe as “suck ups”, gives this new Hong Kong racing season some bite size and Whyte size extra bite and sizzle.
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