Top jockeys Douglas Whyte and Brett Prebble signed off for the season early as they commenced suspensions but it was surprisingly the Durban Demon who signed off with a winning double.

Prebble has been on fire and looked to have by far the better book of mounts but got disappointing efforts from hot favourites Sir John and Sky Hero, while Modern Fortune covered ground before finishing unplaced.

Whyte, on the other hand, had posted the longest losing run of his 19-year Hong Kong career - 44 mounts without a win - before John Moore-trained Tianhuang had him back in the winner's stall and he added Chater Rock a couple of races later for David Ferraris.

"I've had a good season, some big race winners and it's a nice way to leave and spend the summer with my family," Whyte said.

"I won't be going anywhere to ride as I might have done when my children were little. My kids are now at a great age to spend time with their parents before they get further into their teens and want to be with their friends instead, so I'll be doing that as much as possible in the next few years."

Ferraris was overjoyed to have Chater Rock back in the winner's stall, more than 15 months after the son of Elusive City won his debut down the straight as a griffin.

"The day after he won, he was lame as a cat with a split down his carpal bone," Ferraris explained.

"And we were very lucky - one of the top surgeons in Europe just happened to be here, by fluke, the next day and agreed to do the operation.

"The horse had a screw put in his knee and a long time off but it looks perfect now. I don't want to say too much more and jinx him but I think there is plenty more ahead of him."

Ferraris also paid tribute to the late James Bertram, a key member of the HK Cricket Club Syndicate, which races Chater Rock and all the other "Chater" horses.

"He passed away on holiday in France just recently and he was a lovely man, a true gentleman, who got a great thrill out of his racehorses and he was quite pivotal in my career here," Ferraris said.

The long, enforced break from racing wasn't something anyone had planned for Chater Rock but Whyte said there seemed no reason why there wasn't a good future ahead for the four-year-old.

"After 50m I knew we had a winning chance. He really hit the gates well and knew what it was all about," he said. "The win wasn't as cosy as it might have looked as when E-Super crossed me I didn't want to be pocketed so I brought him out and he didn't really get much of a breather. He should get 1,200m and I think he'll handle the Valley too."