Stand by for some wild celebrations tomorrow if flamboyant Frenchman Olivier Doleuze caps an incredible first stint in Hong Kong with Derby victory aboard Aucash. Many fans will go to Sha Tin hoping to see star jockey Frankie Dettori's famous flying dismount, but Doleuze is no shrinking violet when it comes to celebrating victory and the huge Derby Day crowd can expect something extra special if he lands the big prize with Aucash.
Doleuze, virtually an unknown when he arrived in December, has shot to stardom with 25 winners in only 21 meetings at a strike-rate of almost 20 per cent. Most of those winners have been celebrated with his now-familiar winning salute, which usually comprises a roar of delight as he stands up in the irons, accompanied by a punch of the air and some wild whip-waving as he turns to face the crowd.
Doleuze's antics drew some minor disapproval from the stewards at one stage when he was warned by chief stipe John Schreck to tone down his act, but it has been tame stuff compared with his exploits in Mauritius, where he celebrated a victory in the jockeys' series there last December by crossing the line with both arms aloft, football-style. And there is the photographic evidence to prove it.
'It's a nice picture. Maybe I should show it to Mr Schreck,' laughs Doleuze, who once lost a race in Singapore after beginning his celebrations too soon. 'I won't be doing that here, I think I would get 10 days' suspension if I did. That picture was taken before I crossed the line and the only place you can get away with that is in Mauritius. The jockeys always have a lot of fun when we go there and the crowd love it, but here it's a serious business, too, and you have to make sure you win the race first.'
Doleuze, though, is still coming up with new ways to entertain the Hong Kong crowds. On Wednesday night, when he was in top form with a Valley ride par excellence to complete a treble with Noble Boy, the jockey turned into a one-man PR machine as he handed out signed photographs of his previous victory on the six-time winner while parading in front of the stands afterwards.
'I have a good rapport with the fans here, that's one of the things I love about Hong Kong,' Doleuze says. 'Every meeting here is a big event and the crowd is always very good. In France, I only really celebrate the big winners, but here I like to give the people something to remember. This has been one of the best times in my career and for me there is a big satisfaction in having winners in another country.'
Doleuze's chances of adding the Derby to his list of winners diminished on Thursday when Aucash was drawn in barrier 14, but the jockey is still in a positive mood. 'I rode him on the track before racing last Saturday and he worked very well, I was very happy with him,' Doleuze says. 'I tried him over 1,000 metres one day, but the racecourse gallop was the first proper piece of work I had done with him and it was very attractive. I was told he worked very well again on Thursday, so I'm very hopeful.'
