Title-chasing Douglas Whyte can start the New Year as he finished the old one by riding winners with stayer Drifting Away looking ideal material to help him in his pursuit of the championship.
Drifting Away is well placed in this afternoon's eighth event to reverse placings with topweight and likely favourite, Success Partners, on their run at Happy Valley over 2,200 metres on November 4.
Ridden then as he is today by champion jockey Basil Marcus, Success Partners prevailed by a neck over Drifting Away in a tense battle to the line which, at one stage, the runner-up looked like winning.
It was Drifting Away's first run of the season and it was a fairly remarkable effort to go so close over such a testing trip.
That point was not lost on Whyte who said yesterday: 'Before his first run at the Valley we were hopeful he would run well but it was expecting a bit even though Tony [Cruz] had put plenty of work into him.
'I think it was almost a bonus that he did run so well and we are now a couple of pounds better off against Success Partners which will be a major help,' added Whyte.
Drifting Away was basically out of his depth last time out in the St Andrew's Challenge Quaich, which was a terms race and the final prep race for the International Vase.
