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Noel Prentice

Club captain draws inspiration from friend in title quest

Lucky Paul Dingley didn't tell Douglas Whyte he was going to the races on Wednesday night. Whyte would have reluctantly imparted the best inside information you can get - literally, straight from the horse's mouth - Grass Hopper in race two.

The champion jockey did the form, jumped off last-start winner Fantastico to ride Grass Hopper and every man and his dog followed him. Fantastico won at 16-1 and even-money favourite Grass Hopper didn't make the first three.

'That's why I don't tip, full stop,' said Whyte as he and good friend Dingley got together in a week where their two codes, rugby and racing, also celebrated their friendship at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

Ironically, Whyte rode the winner of the feature race, sponsored by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union. And he kicked home another winner to boot.

Notorious tipsters, these jockeys. Trainers are even worse, says Whyte. But he is the best. Something Dingley hopes to be tonight when the No8 will try to help CBRE Club win the Grand Championship Final against DeA Tigers at King's Park.

The two South Africans are both admired for the professionalism and excellence they have brought to Hong Kong sport, ever since they met through a mutual friend in a Central coffee house 71/2 years ago.

'Dougie has a fantastic record,' says Dingley. 'He is a true professional and I've tried to implement that on my rugby side. And with age not on my side I have to work a lot harder. I have picked this up from his attitude. He just wants to win.'

Jokes Whyte: 'When someone's giving me some s**t, I might call Paul. But seriously, he is one of the better players in Hong Kong. He has been captain for some time. Paul's done a sterling job, and has held the team together for a long while. He has great respect from his fellow players.'

Paul's brother, Jon, is best mates with Whyte and a financial adviser to the three-time Hong Kong champion. But when they're celebrating Whyte's latest win or meeting for lunch or dinner, Paul more often than not takes a rain check.

'Often Jon and I will be going out for a night, lunch or dinner but Paul will never join us because he has training or a game. He will stick to his training routine and focus on the game. As much as he says I'm a professional, I would have to pay as much respect to him.'

And because they are all good mates, they understand if a horse Whyte mentions loses there are no hard feelings. 'If Jon and Paul and a bunch of the guys are going racing I think it's good to advise them on what I think are my better chances on the night,' says Whyte. 'But I don't enjoy that because if my mates lose money, you feel guilty.

'My mates have come to know I'm not trying to hide anything.  Anything can happen. If I had run into Jon and Paul on Wednesday night I would have told them Grass Hopper was my best ride. And I had two other winners. If they didn't know me better, they would have said, 'Hang on a minute?''

Paul made only a brief appearance at the Racing With Rugby night on Wednesday, part of the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse First Boston Hong Kong Sevens buildup, as he is in serious training for this weekend and the big show in two weeks. 'Football Club haven't won anything since the '99 knockout cup,' said Dingley, who has recovered from a shoulder injury.  'DeA have picked up every trophy on offer this year. They are very, very tough. They are the form side.

'We are the underdogs, without a doubt. They have beaten us three times, but we have nothing to lose. If we manage to get this game, we take all the spoils.

'We have been in a knockout cup final before, they haven't. We know what it's like to lose, they haven't had that experience. We can knock them off, without a doubt. I just hope they don't play to their potential and we do.'

Dingley and Whyte are riding the same horse today, the underdog taking on the favourite. Two hours before Dingley takes to the pitch, Whyte rides Multidandy in the $4.5 million Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin in a match race with stablemate Silent Witness.

And who will win?

'Generally, you're better off picking for yourself - colours, names or eeny, meeny, miny, mo,' says Whyte.



Take a punt on Dingley and Whyte