No sweat as Size and Whyte notch double

Douglas Whyte gave an impressive John Size-trained winner Fay Fay a glowing reference, but his actions - or lack of them - spoke louder than words.

Part of a double for the master Australian horseman, Fay Fay won a Class Three (1,400m) with an ease that made Whyte look like a mere passenger. Whyte gave the impression of a rider jog-trotting to the barriers when he swooped from the rear to score a seemingly effortless win on the four-year-old.

Fay Fay has battled leg injuries in the past - hence his year on the sideline after his initial griffin success. Yesterday he had to contend with barrier 14 but he made light of the task.

'We've always thought he was a proper horse,' Whyte said. 'I'm just glad that John has got him back to where he is now, he has had his niggling problems but he's trialled the house down really. He's the type of horse, we'll keep our fingers crossed, that he can go on to bigger things.'

Whyte and Size's other winner, Tuxedo, has created an air of expectation with four strong trial performances after a tidy debut provincial win in Australia. He couldn't have done much more to impress as he cruised away in the Class Three over 1,200m in decent time, Whyte again not raising a sweat.

'He did it with some purpose,' Whyte enthused. 'Give him time ... but I think he is going to be a nice horse for the future. He has been a bit tip toey and John has done a fantastic job to get him to the start today. He came out of the gates very professionally and from there on in it was just a matter of me finding a run and getting a clear passage.'

Size was quick to point out Fay Fay had received the right tempo to be able to finish off the race. 'The sectionals show they went along pretty quick and that helped the strong horse look good,' he said.

Size said he was concerned pre-race when Tuxedo began to sweat behind the barriers and again when he wanted to go hard early, but it went well from there.

'We were lucky he drew a gate and the race suited him the way it was run,' Size said. 'He travelled very well to the turn and when he got to the front nothing challenged him.'