Durban Demon spooks them in Hong Kong

The ace South African rider won his first race in Hong Kong back in the day – a prelude to an unparalleled 13 jockey championships in arguably the most competitive racing jurisdiction in the world.

On the first of September this year, he made his debut as a trainer in the Chinese territory – and registered his first winner on the first day of a new season at Sha Tin racecourse. Then, earlier this month, he notched his first winner at the first meeting of the season at the downtown Happy Valley track.

First has always come first for “The Durban Demon”. Whyte acquired that nickname as a young man when he was booting home winners in Surf City back in the 1990s.

His devilish ways were best illustrated when he bounced his mount out of the starting stalls at Greyville, dictated the pace, slowed everything down as the field rounded the final bend, getting rivals unbalanced, then took off down the short stretch as if fired from a slingshot and snatched the spoils.

The world got to see the Demon and his magic when he travelled to Hong Kong in 1997 to ride in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Durban July champ London News. Whyte, Joburg trainer Alec Laird and the handsome chestnut colt were unknowns – from way out in the African sticks – on one of the world’s biggest racing stages. And they won.

It was the big turning point in Whyte’s career; he was immediately offered a much-sought-after riding licence in Hong Kong. And the rest was history as they say. There were 1,813 winners in his 22-year stint in South China.

In February this year the infamously strict Hong Kong Jockey Club granted Whyte a training licence – a highly unusual decision for a rookie conditioner. (He wasn’t the first in this regard; just the second, after another great Hong Kong rider, Tony Cruz.)

Not one to leave anything to chance, Whyte hung up his saddle and took off on a four-month learning trip around the world. He visited top trainers in Australia, such as David Hayes and Chris Waller; in the UK, riding work and studying the techniques of Sir Michael Stoute, Charlie Appleby and William Haggas; and in South Africa, where old friend Alec Laird and maestro Mike de Kock passed on a tip or two.

A string of 47 horses was acquired back at Olympic Stables at Sha Tin, many of them “professional maiden” battlers.
Cue the first meeting of the season: six-year-old maiden Adonis delivered the Demon’s first winner. “It’s phenomenal! It’s fantastic,” yelled Whyte as Australian jockey Regan Bayliss steered home a notoriously difficult horse to ride.

In his post-race interview, the brand-new trainer revealed how he fixed a truculent, ill-tempered beast: “He’s been a very difficult horse to ride and I’ve been the only one on him every day … I can’t tell you how much satisfaction that is; when a horse learns to trust you and you can change it around, from taking off with his head up, to put his head down and enjoy work … He’s been turning the corner the last two weeks. If you’d asked me two weeks ago, was I going to run him, I’d have said absolutely not. I didn’t even trial him because I knew it could work him up too much, so I’ve just been slow-working him, a couple of canters and one jump out.”

A week later, 47-year-old Dougie was back in the winner’s circle at Sha Tin, this time with Big Fortune, a five-year-old with attitude and his sole runner on the card. Winning jockey Alberto Sanna showered praise on the boss’s horsemanship.

The South China Morning Post headlined a report about it Happy Valley fixture “Whyte’s Kingdom” following the victory of Last Kingdom, who broke his duck at the 21st attempt – but his first for the new kid on the block.

That made it three winners from just 11 starters and propelled Whyte to joint third on the Hong Kong trainers’ log.

It is very early days in the season – and don’t say it too loud – but the racing-mad city is already murmuring about the possibility of the Demon scoring another sensational first.

Mike Moon

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