Super Satin declares he is a real live chance for the Derby

Reigning champion trainer Caspar Fownes surged right into the forefront of Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby calculations at Sha Tin yesterday as Super Satin showed the benefit of time and an education to land his fourth successive win in The Peninsula Golden Jubilee Challenge Cup (1,800m).

Super Satin, part of a four-timer for Douglas Whyte, has blossomed both physically and mentally since joining Fownes from Danny Shum Chap-shing last May as a somewhat backward three-year-old.

Whyte has stuck to him through a three-race winning run at Happy Valley that has been the making of the gelding, according to both trainer and jockey, and prepared him for the winning return to the bigger track.

'He used to be very narrow, there wasn't much of him when you threw your leg over him and mentally he used to lose the plot before a race - which was his biggest downfall,' said Whyte.

'Mentally, he's a racehorse now and knows he's a racehorse. He saves his reserves of energy for his races and Caspar's done a great job with building him up and putting some condition on him. He is a proper horse when you sit on him now. He's come a long way.'

For all his thousands of wins, Whyte has yet to take out the Derby, but Super Satin declared himself a real live chance yesterday, and Fownes pointed out that he has a Derby pedigree, too.