Douglas Whyte bagged the 29th win of his rookie season as a trainer when Simply Fluke (NZ) (Keeper) broke his maiden in section two of the Class 4 Wan Tsui Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
It was the five-year-old’s first start for the handler following a stable transfer from Dennis Yip.
Joao Moreira overcame the widest gate on the son of Keeper, found the perfect midfield sit and then urged the 2.4 favourite to a neck success over Travel Datuk.
“When the barrier draw came out and Simply Fluke drew gate 12 again that was a concern, especially as he hadn’t had the best of luck in a couple of his runs,” Whyte said.
“I must say that the horse has really settled down – he’s been a bit of a handful but he’s settled down mentally and I was pretty confident with the work he’s been showing at home that he could reproduce that and he did.
“I think there’s still improvement in him,” the former 13-time champion jockey continued. “What he did today, I’ve learned more about him and I think I can assess him better. My belief is that after a run like that he’s going to enjoy and appreciate his morning training even more now because when a horse can win a race they gain confidence and he’s done it in a nice manner.”
Bred by Casey, Michelle and Glenice Dando, Simply Fluke was purchased out of Bradbury Park’s 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock draft and is a full brother to Group Two winner Sworn to Secrecy (NZ).
