Birthday: Nov 15, 1971
Nationality: Hong Kong
Background:
Age: 52. Douglas Whyte's first season as a trainer in 2019/20 saw him accrue 44 wins. The former jockey was born in South Africa and earned the nickname "The Durban Demon" during his storied career in the saddle. He was Hong Kong Champion Jockey for 13 consecutive seasons, establishing an incredible legacy. Whyte retired from the saddle in February of 2019 with a Hong Kong record of 1,813 wins. After a few months travelling to Europe, Dubai, South Africa and Australia to see how some of the world's master trainers ran their operations, Whyte commenced his own training career at Sha Tin's Olympic Stables on 15 July, 2019. An outstanding horseman, he first sat on a horse at age two and developed his skills riding in the countryside with his late father, himself a former jockey. A South African Jockey Academy graduate, in 1996 he rode weekends in Singapore and undertook a short contract in Hong Kong at the start of the 1996/97 season. He returned for the 1997/98 season and made Hong Kong his home. His big race wins in the saddle include the Hong Kong Derby (2010 Super Satin, 2012 Fay Fay, 2013 Akeed Mofeed), Hong Kong Cup (2013 Akeed Mofeed), Hong Kong Mile (2013 Glorious Days), Hong Kong Vase (1998 Indigenous) and QEII Cup (1997 London News, 1998 Oriental Express, 2011 Ambitious Dragon). He won his first Group race as a trainer with Savvy Nine in the 2021 G3 January Cup. Whyte nailed a career-high 46 wins to finish sixth in the 2021/22 championship, and claimed three (including his first as a trainer) Group 1 wins in the Centenary Sprint Cup, Hong Kong Gold Cup and Champions & Chater Cup. He added two more top-level scores in 2022/23 with Russian Emperor, winning the 2023 QAT G1 H.H. The Amir Trophy in Qatar as well as successive Champions & Chater Cup triumphs. He reached the 200-win milestone as a trainer in the 2023/24 season.
Achievements:
Hong Kong Champion Jockey (13 consecutive seasons from 2000/01 to 2012/13); International Jockeys' Championship winner (2002, 2007, 2008); World Super Jockeys Series (Japan) winner (2004); six wins in a day as a jockey: 7 April, 2013 (a Hong Kong record-equalling feat at the time); record holder for overall career wins as a jockey in Hong Kong (1,813 wins).
Notable Race Wins Include
Champions & Chater Cup (2022 & 2023 Russian Emperor), Hong Kong Gold Cup (2022 Russian Emperor), Centenary Sprint Cup (2022 Stronger), QAT G1 H.H. The Amir Trophy (2023 Russian Emperor), G3 January Cup (2021 Savvy Nine).
Hong Kong Career Wins
(at start of 2024/25 season): 208 (win strike rate: 8.2%).
Year | Happy Valley | Shatin | 1000m-1200m | 1400m-1650m | 1800m-2000m | 2000m+ | ||||||||||||||||||
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
25 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 82 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 83 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 94 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Distance | Win | 2nd | 3rd | Lost | Total Ride | Win% | ||
Happy Valley | 1000 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 30 | 51 | 21.57 | |
1200 | 10 | 23 | 13 | 99 | 145 | 6.9 | ||
1650 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 69 | 93 | 8.6 | ||
1800 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 20 | 10 | ||
2200 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14.29 | ||
Shatin | All weather | 1200 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 25 | 12 |
1650 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 0 | ||
1800 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50 | ||
Turf | 1000 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 42 | 2.38 | |
1200 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 76 | 89 | 0 | ||
1400 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 90 | 108 | 7.41 | ||
1600 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 38 | 5.26 | ||
1800 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 6.67 | ||
2000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 0 | ||
2400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Draw Year | <4 | 4-10 | 10-20 | 20+ | ||||||||||||
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
25 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 83 |
Draw Year | 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-14 | |||||||||
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
25 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 78 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 60 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 |
Trainer | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Lost | Total |
H. Bentley | 2 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 29 |
L. Hewitson | 2 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 30 |
J. McDonald | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
M. Chadwick | 1 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 27 |
P. N. Wong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
Z. Purton | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
A. Badel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
A. Pouchin | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
B. Avdulla | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
B. Shinn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
C. L. Chau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
H. Bowman | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
H. Doyle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
K. De. Melo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
K. Teetan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 16 |
L. Ferraris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 |
M. Barzalona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
M. L. Yeung | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Y. L. Chung | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |