Whyte finds going tough in Challenge - again
It was another tough day at the office for Douglas Whyte followers as the Durban Demon had to bow to Olivier Doleuze in the Jockey Challenge, but in terms of landing winners there was the usual double to chalk up.
Whyte gave Alice Too back-to-back victories in race three, then was able to coax a second win from the Peter Ho Leung-trained seven-year-old Chinsola to complete the Class Five double for the yard after Top Speed (Alex Lai Hoi-wing) had won earlier.
Key to Chinsola's victory was the replacement of blinkers, whose only other victory in 58 starts had come 20 months earlier for Almond Lee Yee-tat over the same course wearing blinkers, but Ho had removed the shades when Chinsola joined his yard 12 months ago.
'Well, you know putting the blinkers back on an old horse like Chinsola usually makes a difference to them,' Whyte said.
'He helped me a little bit more in the run than he has been without the blinkers. Normally, he doesn't travel, doesn't show a great deal of interest and that's how he's been his last couple with me.
'Today with the blinkers on, he was able to press forward at a vital stage when everyone eased up a bit - he's lost his dash at the end of a race and has been finding trouble as a result. I wanted to get him rolling before turning today and with the blinkers he was able to do it.'
Whyte had a bright outlook for the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Alice Too. 'I did a bit of work with him before he won at his first start last time and I thought his work since had been better again.'
'He only got out late today and he had an excuse if he wanted one but I like the way he really let down and applied himself.'
Alice Too had been a three-time winner in Sydney before arriving on a rating of 80, so Whyte reckons there is still some room to manoeuvre off yesterday's winning rating of 45.
'He hasn't really put it together and has had a few issues but he feels good now so I'd be thinking that he'll cope well with what Class Four can offer anyway,' Whyte said.
Whyte will head into 2009 in sight of the half century on 44 and 19 wins clear of Darren Beadman.
