Champion jockey Douglas Whyte looks the dominant factor on the Happy Valley card today with punters wasting no time tuning into his link-up with John Size lately.
From having had just a handful of rides for the champion trainer in the past three seasons, Whyte has combined with Size for two winners in the past week and will be legged aboard three strong fancies from the yard this afternoon.
Earlybird punters have zeroed in on the combination in Races 5 and 6, making Shogun ($22) and Zabebe ($34) clear favourites and improvement is anticipated from Dr Well (Race 10) with Whyte aboard as he is a solid second fancy overnight.
Whyte's influence on the meeting extends well beyond the Size team, with the Durban Demon considered the one to beat on X-Speed in Race 1 ($47), Shogun, Zabebe, Our Jet in Race 8 ($22), Engineering Wonder in the ninth ($38) and Wealthy in the last race at overnight odds of $29. John Moore-trained debutant, Win Again has a ring of confidence about him in early betting.
The former South Australian galloper is listed at $61 for the eighth event overnight, and second choice in the betting, despite making his Hong Kong debut today. There is a sense of deja vu about Win Again's appearance, as Moore produced talented Able Prince for the first time at the same meeting last season and he skipped away a dominant victor around the Valley 1,200m, leading all the way.
Like Able Prince, Win Again was a speed machine with excellent Group form in Adelaide as a two-year-old. Stewards passed Moore's special application for the horse to wear one-eyed blinkers today without a local test in them as he had worn the blinkers in Australia.