There must be an edict circulating in Jockey Club headquarters forbidding the mere mention of such a shoddy word as 'punters'. Those avid fans who frequent the two racecourses and 160-odd betting shops of Hong Kong are to be known as 'customers'.. But if they are not to be called 'punters' what is wrong with 'racegoers'? The word is completely accurate when it comes to describing those who flock to our courses and has a certain acceptable ring to it. 'Customers', in the minds of probably 95 per cent of those who bother to think about it at all, are those who frequent convenience stores. But this is Sha Tin, not a 7-Eleven. A blush crept over the features of Douglas Whyte's charming girlfriend, Nikki, on Wednesday night at Happy Valley. Whyte, who has taken this town by storm, rode a four-timer at the city track and was being mobbed by pressmen. 'Not too many do that,' mused one hack to Nikki who replied that it was a great night but surely jockeys did ride trebles fairly often in a season. Nikki, who arrived a little late on the course, was misinformed about the result of race two and thought the man in her life had ridden three. Anyway, it was an even warmer welcome for Whyte. And rightly so. Trainer Bruce Hutchison is expected home in midweek after the day-long operation last week to repair severe facial damage caused in the car crash late last month. The popular Australian trainer came through the ordeal well and family and friends are keeping their fingers crossed that the one operation will be all that is required. There's going to be a huge gap in the Jockey Club's food and beverage ranks when racecourses catering manager Michel Commend ups stakes shortly to return to Canada. French-Canadian Michel will take over as general manager and secretary-treasurer of the University Club of Montreal. Michel is a master of the culinary arts and his International Races week breakfast rapidly became an important fixture. While sausages do not play a major part in French haute cuisine, the marvellous Michel made sure that those of a more Anglo-Saxon bent were particularly well served in that department. Bon voyage.Patrick Biancone was amused by the strange outburst of Gerald Mosse during the week when the jockey slammed his former mentor in one breath - and thanked him for getting him where he is with the next one. Biancone knows a bit about football, too, and alluded to veteran trainer Guy Roux who guided Auxerre to the French double last season. Roux - who is the longest-serving coach in Europe - has had players like Eric Cantona and Frank Leboeuf under his care as youngsters. 'Every player who left him, said what a **** he was. But he made them what they are. It's the same with jockeys, you don't ask them to like you - just learn,' said Biancone.