Circuit Mission wins by a nostril
Riduan gets his fifth winner on Super Dynasty in Race 3
It was an afternoon well spent - especially if you were at the Singapore Racecourse on that Easter Sunday and, better still, if you were one of those standing on the lawn to catch the action.
You would have seen a battle royale in the seventh when Callan Murray and Michael Rodd went head-to-head in that Class 3 over 1,600m race.
You would have heard the slap of the whips cracking a rhythmic beat as the jockeys went hell for leather.
And you would have been intoxicated by the thud, thud, thud of the horses' hooves on the Polytrack as Circuit Mission and Wolf Warrior came charging home, never giving an inch. Never asking for one.
Earlier, at the betting windows, there were just two horses the racegoers wanted. They were Circuit Mission and Wolf Warrior. And they were smack on target.
Lee Freedman's Circuit Mission and Alwin Tan's Wolf Warrior had the race to themselves - from go to whoa.
Indeed, it was a pity that the titanic duel produced a result. But, in the end, Circuit Mission had nosed out Wolf Warrior in what was one of the better finishes seen at Kranji.
Earlier, we saw a horse with promise come good.
Indeed his name had gone into many notebooks as a horse to follow when he ran a good race in the Singapore Guineas last year.
That day, almost a year ago, he ran sixth in the race won by Mr Clint. Then a three-year-old, Super Dynasty finished about four lengths behind the winner. With natural progression, a lot was expected from him but he somehow failed to live up to those expectations.
He won a couple of trials but it took him seven more runs over eight months before he again greeted the judge. That was in February. However, if that was a long wait between drinks, his next win came even before his connections could down that last one.
Yesterday, just two months since that last win, Super Dynasty returned triumphant. And he did it in style. Always wide, he took the lead 250m out and never gave it back.
Indeed, no persuader was needed over the concluding stages. Just honest to goodness hands and heels riding by the jockey, Riduan Abu Bakar.
Yes, much as we will now take note of Super Dynasty, remember also the name Riduan Abu Bakar. That guy's going places.
A 26-year-old who had his tutelage in New Zealand, he only just returned to the MRA circuit and, here at Kranji, he has become a hot commodity.
Then again, when you're a good rider with a gung-ho attitude and a four-kilo claim, you can expect to be treated like gold dust by owners and trainers.
It's exactly what's been happening. Riduan's win on Super Dynasty, who incidentally was sent off as the $20 second pick in that 12-horse Class 4 contest, was his fifth since he began riding here just a month ago.
He had, on Friday night, picked up a double on Red Dawn and Chocolats. Both were down to carry 59kg but Riduan's "relief" brought that weight down to just 55kg. That's priceless.
So watch him. He's going to be in great demand and yes, he'll surely give you a run for your money.
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