13-time champion rider to head to Melbourne for seat-warming ride on Group One winner

Douglas Whyte will renew his connection with champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller in the C F Orr Stakes in Melbourne next Saturday when he ‘warms the seat’ on multiple Group One winner Boban. Boban’s usual partner is Glyn Schofield, who coincidentally rides at Sha Tin on Sunday but, on appeal, was unable to shave one more day off the suspension he is currently serving to allow him to ride on Saturday, so Whyte got the call up. Whyte already has a successful connection with Waller, winning a Group One in Perth for the trainer on Moriarty in December 2014 when that horse’s rider, Nash Rawiller, was out suspended. “I take it as a great compliment to be asked to ride these Group One horses anywhere and I’d love to be able to get some other good rides on the day,” said Whyte. Alan Aitken

Joao Moreira likely to return for Wednesday’s Chinese New Year Cup meeting after medical

Champion jockey Joao Moreira will be paid up for rides at the Lunar New Year meeting on Wednesday without standby riders this morning, after giving a very positive report to the stewards yesterday on his condition following last Wednesday’s fall. Chief steward Kim Kelly said Moreira had undergone a “precautionary” third MRI since the fall but there was no reason to think he would not pass his medical on Monday with flying colours. “Joao told us today that even had the races been on Sunday instead of Saturday he feels he would have been fine to ride, but his neck had been still a bit too stiff to turn his head as normal and that’s why he had to miss today,” Kelly said. “But he will have a medical on Monday and anticipates no problem with a clearance for Wednesday.” Alan Aitken

Me Tsui’s patience with temperamental Fight Hero finally pays off

Trainer Me Tsui Yu-sak has lost count of how many times barrier rogue Fight Hero has been failed at the trials but hard work paid off when the import finally broke through for his first local win. Fight Hero not only brought a lofty rating with him from France, but severe temperamental behaviour around the starting stalls – something Tsui’s team have sought to remedy with a simple daily routine. “Every day, we walk him through the gates at the stable – we just let him go through, and he seems to have calmed down a lot,” Tsui said. Jockey Derek Leung Ka-chun, one of two jockeys to win as a replacement for Joao Moreira, said it had helped that no other horses played up in the gates. “We went in last, even then he was still slow though,” he said. “Me just told me, ‘Keep riding him hard, or he will stop quickly if you don’t.’” Michael Cox