Hong Kong racing has crowned its champion rider with one meeting remaining for the season, with Douglas Whyte adding the 2012/13 title to his previous 12.
Whyte goes to Happy Valley for the season finale on Wednesday night 13 wins clear of Australia’s Zac Purton after both rode a treble of winners at Sha Tin on Sunday, but the race was as-good-as over before it began.
While the jockeys’ title is decided, the trainers’ premiership goes down to wire with three names in the mix.
After Sunday’s penultimate meeting, former jockey Dennis Yip leads, with 66 wins, by one from another former champion rider, Tony Cruz with expatriate Australian John Size three further back.
For Whyte, ambition has hardly been dulled by the monotony of his 13 successive victories or by Purton’s concerted bid.
“I was never in doubt, in the sense that I didn’t think he was going to thrash me or beat me,” Whyte said.
“I was confident from when the season began that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
“I’m not going to let it go without a fight, I’m determined and I love the position I’m in.”
Another Australian expat, John Moore, added to his record as the most successful trainer in Hong Kong history, pushing his prize money tally through the HK$100 million mark for the third consecutive season.
Sunday’s turnover of $HK1.4 billion emphasised Hong Kong’s pre-eminence in world racing, the figure taking turnover for the year to $HK92 billion, a nine per cent increase on last season.
