Perennial champion jockey Douglas Whyte (right) goes back to where it all began for him in today's HK$14 million Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, hoping that in Ambitious Dragon he has the horse to break a 13-year spell.
Whyte's first two QE II Cup rides were winners on London News and Oriental Express, with the first of them a key moment both in the history of South African racing and one of its most enduring jockey exports.
After solid success in his first three-month Hong Kong stint at the end of 1996, the Durban Demon returned home only to be back in April to pilot London News on the day that horse became South Africa's first international winner.
'It's a win I'll never forget - I had the whole of South Africa behind me that day,' he recalled yesterday. 'Not many people know the difficulties that horse went through even to get here but he settled down well when he arrived and I still remember his final gallop, he worked unbelievably well. In the race, I was up handy, third I think, and it all unfolded perfectly. It was probably the most satisfying and emotional win I've ever had.'
And it was the launching pad for an institution in Hong Kong racing, as Whyte was asked to ride out the remainder of the season and has stayed ever since.
He won the race again the following year then finished second on Indigenous in 1999 but last year's third on Super Satin was the only placing since in a race where he has often had to make do with also-rans.
