All the attention was on Douglas Whyte racking up his 1,000th Hong Kong winner when the Paul O'Sullivan-trained Bejeweled landed the Li Cup (1,200m) yesterday, but both trainer and jockey agreed that there was a good story still to come with the horse himself."The making of him has been gelding him in January," said O'Sullivan, who completed a winning double with the son of Commands.
"He won at the end of last season as a two-year-old but he was just doing everything wrong early this season as a colt and didn't want to be a racehorse at all. As soon as he was gelded, it all fell back into place and he really has the makings of a nice horse.
"He's still just a frame and has plenty of growing and filling out to do next season. I'm unsure whether to keep him going this time or put him aside now and let him grow, but the horse will tell me.
"Anyway, at least today he was part of something special in being Dougie's 1,000th winner and I'm proud that I was able to be a small part of something that big."
Whyte said he had been anxious to get on board Bejeweled once he stepped beyond the straight 1,000m course despite the horse's excellent performances at that distance.
"The 1,000m was clearly not what he wanted but it was part of the education process and Paul told me when I rode him up the straight that he would want further and he was spot on," Whyte recalled.
"Having said that, he still went very well with 133 pounds that day and was beaten by a smart horse in Super Plus, and I think he might have beaten him if he'd had three to five pounds less, but he just couldn't pick up quickly enough.
"Today was a transformation and he surprised me by just how easily he put himself into a prominent position and it was only ever a matter of when I wanted to go past Salut Beaute in the straight. A lovely, progressive horse and I can't wait to see him at 1,400m or a mile when he'll be a proper horse."
