Douglas Whyte claimed training honours with a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, as the championship battle between Pierre Ng Pang-chi and Francis Lui Kin-wai is set to go down to the wire at Sunday’s season finale.

While the spotlight was on Ng and Lui’s intense battle, both handlers came up empty-handed at the city circuit to set up an epic finish, with Ng leading his former boss 67-66 heading into Sunday’s twilight meeting at Sha Tin.

Whyte swooped with another brace, backing up his double at the same track six days earlier to deliver with Goodmanship in the Class Five Silver Grecian Handicap (1,000m) and Lucky Planet in the second section of the Class Four Let Me Fight Handicap (1,200m).

Hong Kong’s most successful jockey took his tally to 40 wins for the campaign, marking the fourth time he has reached that figure in his five seasons as a trainer.

“I’ve tried to do that year-in, year-out,” Whyte said.

“I’ve had a bit of hard luck with seconds and bad draws. You can’t look back, you can’t turn those around so I’m just glad it’s fallen into place now.”

Sent out a $19 chance after battling this term, Goodmanship scored his first triumph since January 2022 when he stormed home to beat the $2.7 favourite, Happy Tango, by half a length under Karis Teetan.

Lucky Planet sealed Whyte’s double in style with his first career victory at start 15.

Fired to the front by Matthew Chadwick from gate one, the popular $2.6 favourite led all the way to emphatically beat Sight Hero by two and a quarter lengths.

Lucky Planet was placed five times and often raced without luck before the drought-breaking success.

“He’s been a victim of circumstances and he’s been very immature – both mentally and physically – and he’s been subject to false paces and bad draws, so he’s had a bit of bad luck,” Whyte said.

“Anyway, he got his act together today. I had the option of running him in Class Five, but I just thought the light weight [117 pounds] and fitness on his side, he can get up there and roll along. I said to Matthew ‘make your own luck and if you can, dictate the race and go out and lead’.”

Teetan fired in a double of his own when he lifted Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Brave Witness to his first career victory in the Class Four Turin Redsun Handicap (1,650m).

Shum was the leading trainer at Happy Valley this season, with Brave Witness delivering him a 33rd success at the city circuit. He denied Caspar Fownes (31 wins) a 12th unofficial Happy Valley title.

“It’s not easy to do,” said Shum. “To have 52 wins overall is not bad. I’m happy with that.”

Chadwick joined Teetan with a brace after also winning the Class Five Super Oasis Handicap (1,800m) on Tony Cruz’s Ninja Derby.

Elsewhere, Woodfire Bro broke the track record in his brilliant Class Two Sun Jewellery Handicap (1,650m) triumph when he surged home along the inside for Keith Yeung Ming-lun to beat Lui’s Yellowfin by a length and a half.

The Michael Chang Chun-wai-trained gelding stopped the clock at 1:37.90, eclipsing the previous benchmark of 1:37.97 set by Tsar in 2021.

“He’s a lovely horse to ride,” Yeung said.

“We had the perfect barrier [one] and the pace was just nice. Everything went smoothly and this horse really deserved to win. This horse has been beaten by some nice horses this season. I think he can still progress because he’s young.”