'It feels like this is how it's going to be for the next three months so I'm not getting too excited one way or the other meeting by meeting. It looks like the first year I won it, when it was never certain until the last day of the season.

'Anyway, I'm there, I'll do my best and we'll see how it turns out.'

Whyte's own quest for a sixth successive jockeys' championship rolled merrily along with the Tony Millard-trained Fujian Prince making it a four-timer, though his day ended on a sour note with a careless riding ban and $40,000 fine from his win in the final event on Armada.

Four-year-old Armada has looked one of the most promising gallopers in Hong Kong in three unbeaten runs and, while he wobbled on the home turn yesterday, it wasn't enough to stop him going on to justify very short odds in the Mount Cameron Handicap (1,400m).

'I don't think I got the perfect race to judge him on today,' said Whyte, having his first ride on the gelding. 'He is obviously a nice horse, and gave me a good feel, but he was difficult at some stages of the race on the turns and he was on the wrong leg at the top of the straight.

Still, he knuckled down when he had to and still went on to win the race.'

Since his last win, Armada had been scratched with a mucus complaint but Size said it had not set the son of Towkay back too much.

'He was treated, and his work and trial recently were nice so he was ready to perform again,' Size said.

'Probably he was a touch flattered when he won last time because he had the rail to guide him all the way and as an inexperienced horse that was probably a big benefit.

'Today, he was outside horses, wandered a bit and probably was not as impressive but the fact he still beat them despite doing a couple of things wrong is a good sign.'

Size's earlier winners, Fly Me To The Moon and Har Har Charms, looked to show the benefit of getting away from Happy Valley and on to the bigger circuit at Sha Tin, especially Fly Me To The Moon.

'He was slow away at Happy Valley last time, and that really doesn't help there,' said Size.

'They have to be chased along to catch up, they are off the bit and when they're off the bit, they don't finish their race off there.'

Whyte agreed, saying the bigger track had given the inexperienced three-year-old more time to get his act together in the race and he found the line much better as a result.

'There's no room for forgiveness at Happy Valley. He was unsure and timid there and felt a bit bullied by the others around him but with more room today, he picked up and I think he'll be all right when the penny drops,' he said.

And both felt Har Har Charms may have been a touch flattered by the trend of racing on the day, with gate one giving him a box-seat run to the turn.

'It did look to be where you wanted to be today, following the leader on the fence' said Size.

'The horse had some foot problems earlier in the season but he's not showing any discomfort now and racing more regularly.'

Whyte said the race was 'tailor made' and the margin of over four lengths was probably not a proper indication.

'No weight, the perfect trip and he just took himself up along the rail into the race today. I think when you look at the day's racing pattern, there would have been plenty of horses who could win that race like that in the same position but he did his job,' the rider said.