Faced with the prospect of being stuck back in the ruck or sitting wide on Chris So Wai-yin's Forever Accurate, Douglas Whyte instead bounced the promising sprinter out of gate 14 and out of trouble before galloping away with a maiden win.

Forever Accurate was hampered at the start and then raced without cover last start and even though the four-year-old had raced midfield or worse in his only two starts. Whyte was confident that if he pushed to sit handy, the gelding would show not only the necessary speed to get across, but the ability to come back to him and relax.

As it turned out, Whyte found a spot outside the lead, and from there was able to save enough energy in front to scrape home by a short head in the Class Four.

"He had trialled well and showed he had the speed, but it was more about getting him out from behind other horses," Whyte said of the change of tactics. "He is still a bit new and he was shirking it behind other horses. But getting out in front, he was able to prick his ears and he got a soft time of it really. He wasn't doing it on the chewy, he was doing it with his ears pricked.

"He is a nice horse going forward, and I think he has some untapped potential there - when he steps him up in distance he should improve again. He doesn't have to be ridden like that."

So said that with a short preparation last term and an off-season break, Forever Accurate had returned a better horse and agreed he was still on the way up.

"I have to say, he is a very easy horse to train," So said. "I got the horse from David Price, so he was well-educated and ready to go."

After bursting out of the blocks in 2013-14 with 39 wins, most of them gained in the early part of the term, his second season has been comparatively slow so far.

Forever Accurate gave So six winners for the season, but he had finished second on a frustrating nine occasions coming into yesterday, before recording another two runner-up finishes at the meeting.

"I have had lots of seconds, but no one notices or remembers them," So said. "We need some winners."