Seow picks an early double
But her mount Sacred Judgement falls short in bid for five wins in a row
The sentimental racegoer - and yes, there are still quite a few who possess that trait - wanted to see Sacred Judgement notch up his fifth win in a row.
So, from their armchairs in front of their television sets, they willed him along.
Alas, on the day, Ironchamp broke many hearts when, under apprentice Krisna Thangamani, he scored a fine win in that Class 3 sprint over 1,400m.
He will live to fight another day. But it will be without the aura and the air of expectancy.
Four in a row is what horse owners dream about. Five would have been out of this world. It didn't happen. But hats off to his rider, Jerlyn Seow.
The apprentice jockey and Singapore's only woman rider continued to ride winners.
So, Sacred Judgement finished second. But, on the day, she did put together a good double, which matched that showing on Sept 25 when she won on Ablest Ascend and Hadeer.
Right now, to say that Seow has improved would be an understatement. She's becoming an intelligent rider, quite capable of sizing up a race and plotting a run through it.
That said, her two winners - Kiss Your Song and Broadway Success - were always among the leaders in Races 3 and 4 respectively.
But, with Kiss Your Song, she had to fight tooth and nail to bring home the Shane Baertschiger-trained runner in a three-way finish.
Her mount beat Magnifique by just a neck, with a head to Winning Spirit.
Broadway Success led all the way. But, again, she had to dig deep to keep Takhi at bay.
Seow is going to get better and her 3kg claim will ensure she gets winning mounts. So keep her on your radar.
On a day when 11 races were run, three other riders dominated. They were Wong Chin Chuen, Louis-Philippe Beuzelin and John Sundradas. Each also booted home a double.
The others who came through with a win apiece were Shafrizal Saleh and Marc Lerner.
Shafrizal scored an easy win in the opening event, bringing home the $10 favourite Harry Dream who beat Flak Jacket.
Harry Dream brought up trainer Michael Clements' early double. He would saddle Greatham Girl to take Race 2.
Another "hottie", as far as punters were concerned, Greatham Girl - ridden by Beuzelin - paid $7 for the win.
Beuzelin's double was complete when Fort Mustang won Race 8, solidifying Hideyuki Takaoka's reputation as a trainer of stayers.
Wong, who began the meeting sitting fourth on the jockeys' scorecard with 31 winners for the season, added two more to the tally with a quickfire double in Races 5 and 6.
Ben Wade was trained by Tim Fitzsimmons. Mark Walker prepared Speedy Missile.
Then there was John. He worked hard for the money, bringing home Strong N Best from a long way back to beat Cheval Blanc (Lerner) in Race 9.
The medium of a late plunge, the Kuah Cheng Tee-trained runner eventually rewarded his backers with a $16 payout.
The veteran rider went on to close the day on an appropriately-named horse. Happy Moment was the raging $10 favourite and he sent his backers home very happy, indeed.
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