Douglas Whyte is a titan of Hong Kong racing so it is perhaps fitting that a horse named for the Greek god Adonis (明月昇輝) should go down in the record books as the former riding great’s first winner as a trainer.

“It’s phenomenal. It’s fantastic!” Whyte said after the six-year-old had chosen the most opportune moment to break his own maiden. That came in just the second race at Hong Kong’s season opener today (Sunday, 1 September), the Class 5 Mount Parker Handicap (1200m), and the second of the 13-time champion jockey’s new career.

“It’s lovely to have the support and to be able to achieve my first winner on the first day; it’s Hong Kong, this is my home, so it’s a special feeling,” he continued.

Whyte’s first Hong Kong win as a rider was Fireball (東北烈馬), 23 years ago this month, and the South African found comparison between that historic marker and today’s breakthrough victory.

“It’s just as emotional, it’s a good feeling,” he said. “I’m a lot more mature now and I’ve had a lot of success since, so to have a winner as a trainer, it’s not about that, it’s about the effort and the time that’s gone into this horse.”

Whyte has long enjoyed a deserved reputation as a horseman of impressive talent and understanding and that was apparent in his post-race comments about Adonis (明月昇輝), one of 26 off-season stable transfers that have swelled his stable numbers to 47.

“He’s been a very difficult horse to ride and I’ve been the only one on him every single day,” the trainer said. “That, for me, is satisfaction. I can’t tell you how much satisfaction that is: when a horse learns to trust you and you can change it around from a horse that used to take off with his head up, to put his head down and enjoy work; it’s not about the Class 5, it’s not about anything, it’s about the individual that I’ve got to actually start to enjoy racing.

“He’s been showing me how much he’s been able to turn the corner the last two weeks. If you’d asked me two weeks ago was I going to run him, I’d have said absolutely not. I didn’t even trial him because I knew if I trialled him it could work him up too much, so I’ve just been slow-working him, a couple of canters and one jump out.”

Regan Bayliss received praise for his successful ride. The Australian, 22, broke his hand during a late-season stint last term, but returned with zero ill-effects and his confidence evidently high.

He soon had Adonis (明月昇輝) cruising along fifth from the tail, having broken from wide in gate 12. The bay closed up through a wide alley entering the home straight, and, when he was given the signal 350m out, the Hong Kong International Sale graduate quickened to score by two and a half lengths.

“I spoke to Regan in detail and I asked him a numerous amount of times to trust in the horse and be kind to him and don’t get him revved up,” Whyte said.

“The horse has got a lot of muscle memory of bad habits and if he got him stirred up it would have been the end of his race. A 10 out of 10 ride, he gave him a peach! He had him exactly where I would have had him out of the gates, he’s done a lot of work for me, he’s a lovely young