Whyte's on the home straight
Douglas Whyte
When it comes to jockeys with that intangible star quality, you might scour the world and come up with a list of four or five. And you can be pretty sure Hong Kong's seven-time champion would be on it. The South African, 36, won two early editions of the Queen ElizabethII Cup and the first of those victories, on South Africa's London News in 1997, was a big part of the reason he chose to move to Hong Kong the following season. Whyte is now in the 'home straight' in his bid to become the first jockey to ride 1,000 Hong Kong winners. He will pilot Armada for John Size in the Champions Mile and Packing Winner in the AP QEII.
Beadman keeping the faith
Darren Beadman, 42, from Australia, would be another on that global short list. He made international headlines in the late 1990s for walking away from his profession, while at the height of his powers, to train to become a Christian minister. He was off the racing scene for almost two years but has returned, using his incredible skill in the saddle and enduring fame among the fans as his way of spreading the good word. Beadman last year became the youngest rider to be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and the first to do so while still riding. He won the Golden Slipper as a teenager, one of 86 Group One races he has lifted, with Melbourne Cups on Kingston Rule and Saintly included. He broke his own records in seven Sydney jockeys' premierships (current standard is 164). Beadman rides defending title holder Viva Pataca in the AP QEII and an old favourite, Joyful Winner, in the Champions Mile.
Age is no barrier for Coetzee
