Whyte continues success in Land of the Rising Sun
Record-breaking jockey, who rode 15 winners in Fuchu, eclipses even local legend Yutaka Take in his short stint
Record-breaking jockey Douglas Whyte surprised nobody during the summer break by being as successful in Japan as he is in Hong Kong, but the wider exposure to racing there did bring the rider one pleasant surprise.
'I had been there on one-off trips before but riding in Japan regularly allowed me to appreciate the wonderful mutual respect there is between all facets of the sport - between the jockeys and trainers and officials, right along to the fans,' Whyte said after wrapping up his stint with leading trainer Kazuo Fujisawa last weekend.
'It's quite refreshing to see the respect in the business there - none of the sniping that you can see in other places. The racing is very professional, well run and you can see why Japan is where it is in the racing world.
'The jockeys are seen more as heroes of the sport than in other places I've ridden. When the favourite loses, the punters accept that it's part of the business rather than something underhanded. The attitudes of people were probably what I enjoyed most about it.'
Whyte, who sandwiched a brief family holiday at his country house in Italy in between riding, carried on from where he left off in Hong Kong when he became the first rider to a century of wins last term and was so successful his figures eclipsed even the local legend, Yutaka Take. From 66 rides, the Durban Demon rode 15 winners, a multitude of placings, and his efforts included a treble and a four-timer.
'On percentages for my short stint, I was doing better than Yutaka is for the season, even though he is streets ahead in their championship, so that is something. Two of my wins were Group Three races and four or five others were in Listed races,' said Whyte, who had returned to riding work in Hong Kong last week when asked to return for two meetings at Sapporo.
'That was not part of the original plan, so I guess everyone was happy with how things went.'
Whyte was enthusiastic about the exposure to Japanese racing and keen to return though his Hong Kong rivals can sit down again - he's not about to forsake Sha Tin for Fuchu just yet.
'There are language difficulties - we're spoilt in Hong Kong with everyone speaking English - and I didn't have my family with me so there were times I was a bit bored,' Whyte said. 'But all things considered it was a great month and I would definitely go back again if I got the nod.'
The Jockey Club yesterday announced that New Zealand veterinary surgeon, Dr Michael Hurley, has joined the club as part of the Veterinary Clinical Services staff.
Dr Hurley, 35, a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists (Equine Medicine), previously worked in England, Ireland and for Prince Ahmed bin Salman's Thoroughbred Corporation in Saudi Arabia. Most recently, he has worked out of Cambridge, New Zealand.
