Rust-free Whyte steps up to be counted with impressive treble

The new season opened with much the same scoreboard as the old one as champion jockey Douglas Whyte took up his quest for a third straight title with a treble at first asking yesterday.

Whyte rode just a handful of meetings in South Africa during the summer break, but was showing no signs of off-season rust, measuring his efforts perfectly to bring home Brilliant (race two) and Hidden Dragon (race eight) for trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai and splitting the pair with Elite Win for Gary Ng Ting-keung in the fourth.

'It's a great way to start off and probably the only way it could have been better was if Green Diamond had held on long enough to win,' Whyte said. The shortest-priced favourite of the day, Green Diamond appeared to have conditions tailor-made in the seventh as he led at a comfortable pace but was overhauled by Colourful Era in the shadows of the post.

It was his second successive defeat at odds-on and further served to take the gloss off his big reputation. 'If he had found a length when I asked and then run out of condition, that might have been different. I guess it didn't help when Eastern Purple came around the field to our outside and made Green Diamond work a bit before the turn, but I was still a touch disappointed he didn't get home,' Whyte said, although he had much to be pleased about, especially Hidden Dragon's clever victory.

One of the top griffins last season, Hidden Dragon has yet to fully leave behind his flightiness before racing, but appreciated a return to the straight 1,000 metres course yesterday and an unexpectedly cold ride from the champion South African.

'He is a still a bit nervy before a race but much, much better than last season, and at this stage he is probably five lengths better on the straight course,' Whyte said. 'In his barrier trial here, I took him back in the field and let him run on and we did the same with him in a jump-out the other day and that was the plan today, too.'

Possessed of brilliant speed, Hidden Dragon seemed to respond to Whyte's patient tactics rather than being ridden forward.