Hewitson and Whyte can Star at the Valley once again
UNDOUBTEDLY one of the highlights of the Happy Valley season has been the blossoming partnership of former South African champion jockey Lyle Hewitson and trainer Douglas Whyte.
Whyte took Hewitson under his wing shortly after the young pilot returned to action following a horrific injury, which sidelined him for over five weeks, after a fall on HK International Day back in December.
Since then, the Whyte and Hewitson combination have never looked back as the young jockey has reached a personal best of 25 winners this season so far, with 18 of those being for Whyte’s stable.
Hewitson has proved particularly adept at negotiating the tight and tricky Valley circuit, with 15 victories here cementing his popularity with the racing public.
The partnership will surely be keen to end the season at the city-track on a high and have bright prospects of doing so with DURHAM STAR in division two of the Sung Tak Handicap (2.15pm) over six furlongs.
This Australian-bred five-year-old has only won once in 15 attempts, but there have been countless excuses along the way, notably in his last three starts when racing from double-figure draws.
On each of those occasions he has had to race at the back of the field from the off, before making long sweeping runs, forcing him to give away too much ground by racing wide.
The fact he has still been able to finish his races off strongly speaks volumes for his ability, and he has now finally received a deserved low draw.
With that help, he is mapped to sit in midfield with plenty of cover from the off and then make his winning charge for glory in the closing stages.
POINTERS
Durham Star 2.15pm Happy Valley