Renown gives Gibson a great start

Freshman trainer Richard Gibson will surely train better horses than Great Renown in his Hong Kong career, but he will surely remember the six-year-old gelding after he gave the former France-based handler a win at just his second runner.

Earlier Fantastisch was a creditable third as the first runner for Gibson, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Monday, but had even more to rejoice at after Douglas Whyte gave a copybook display on Great Renown in the fifth to hand the trainer a dream start.

But Gibson was quick to share the credit. 'I came here thinking the horse was well and would run well, but it's hard to have real confidence when you don't know the other horses or how the race might work out. You couldn't have anyone who knows Happy Valley better than Douglas on your first night here and he gave the horse a great ride,' Gibson said.

'But I have to thank my whole team for this. In the lead-up to the season, every time I've been asked how things are going I've been happy to say how well the team in the stables has been working together and this is the result. They can take a bow for the fact that we have been able to win one so early.'

Gibson said the Jockey Club veterinary department could take plenty of credit for Great Renown racing at all, let alone winning, after he missed most of last season with a right hind leg fracture.

'It was really a terrible injury that the horse had last year - if you could see his leg, he still has these two big screws in the bone,' Gibson said. 'So I'd love to think he could win again but really I'm happy just to win one, considering what he's been through.'