Double winner Whyte amazed at the transformation that John Size has achieved with gelding's 'best win yet' Jockey Anthony Delpech landed Magic Temple the final winner on the dirt at Sha Tin last night as a belated celebration of the decision by Vengeance Of Rain's connections to tackle the US$5 million Dubai Sheema Classic next month. 'Owner Raymond Chow Hon-man rang me on Sunday after racing here to tell me they've decided to go to Dubai and I'm thrilled,' Delpech said. 'I'm sure it's the right decision. The horse is really looking for 2,400m now and it looks ideal for him.' Delpech will be hoping Vengeance Of Rain can travel as easily in Dubai as Sean Woods-trained Magic Temple travelled in running last night before taking out the last race, swooping down the outside of the course in the pattern of the night's racing. 'Watching the earlier races, I got quite confident about Magic Temple,' Delpech said. 'Sean told me he was very confident the horse would run well and all night the winners were coming down the middle of the course, which is this horse's usual racing style.' Reigning champion trainer, John Size continued his sharp midseason move through the ranks with Byron (Douglas Whyte) taking his fourth race for the season in the Lok Sin Tong Cup, 1,200m. Part of a double for Whyte, who had scored on Magic Touch earlier, Byron continues to amaze the champion jockey with his transformation this season. 'John has just turned him inside out,' Whyte said. 'That was probably his best win yet. On paper, it looked like the big weight might test him tonight but I can tell you at the 600m I wasn't thinking that. He just jumped and travelled even with the weight, and I was going that easily up on the speed that I had to keep him off Helene Elegance's heels. I probably went to the front a bit early but he was going so well, I couldn't wait and he just accelerated straight past them.' It was the seventh win for Size from his last 23 starters after making a particularly slow start to the term. Whyte's earlier winner, Magic Touch for Peter Ho Leung, has been one of the hardier dirt performers over several years but the eight-year-old was the one with the 'fresh legs' in last night's 1,800m affair. 'I went into the race pretty confident after his last run,' Whyte said. 'Because he came in with the fresh legs, I was able to have him midfield tonight and travelling easily instead of him being right out the back. The smaller field helped too and I never felt like he was going to lose in the run.' Ho was another to post a double, with his apprentice Alex Lai Hoi-wing bringing in a welcome winner with Joyful Years in the sixth. Lai has had a quiet run of late and showed he had lost none of his navigational skills on the lightly-raced four-year-old, but the night ended badly when he copped a three-day ban for careless riding rounding the home turn in race three. Olivier Doleuze also celebrated a winning double in partnership with Peter Ng Bik- kuen, making no mistake with Active Valour in race four, then bringing Expectations with a well timed finish in the seventh. 'It's a shame Expectations is so highly-rated because he loves the dirt and there aren't many races for him because of his rating,' Doleuze said. 'He gets only one or two chances a season, but always wins one.' Trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai has lodged notice that he will appeal against Tuesday's $50,000 fine over Charming Speedy's positive drug test at Sha Tin on December 23.
