Trainer Kok’s Happy Moment
The quiet achiever also scores with Dimesso to take his season's tally to 13 wins
Three runners for two wins and a second.
That's a fantastic result, especially for the quiet-achieving David Kok, who trains only 21 horses in his Kranji barns.
His running double in Races 3 and 4 with Happy Moment and Dimesso respectively brought his season's tally to 13 winners from just 121 runners this year.
It was his second brace for the season, having also sent out two winners on June 5 with Leggenda and Terrific.
Kok's first starter Star Empire overtook Gamely as the favourite in the opening race, but found the Jerome Tan-trained back-to-back winner Master Player too good.
Master Player won second-up in Open Maiden over 1,200m on a yielding track on Aug 1. Yesterday, the four-year-old beat seven-year-old Star Empire by 3/4 lengths in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 1 event over the Polytrack 1,200m, despite carrying the 59kg top weight.
Ridden by Oscar Chavez, Star Empire poked ahead of the leader Loving Babe round the bend and was first for home.
Jockey A'Isisuhairi Kasim bided his time on the inside of Star Empire. Once asked, Master Player kicked ahead to keep Star Empire at bay.
"It was a good run," said Kok, of Star Empire. "He lost to a younger and better horse. Master Player carried 59kg and could still win. He was the horse who beat my Race 4 winner."
Indeed, with the form franked, Dimesso, who finished third behind Master Player, ran out an easy winner in the $20,000 Open Maiden event over the Polytrack 1,200m.
The four-year-old ridgling did not have the best of jumps but was hunted up from his inner-most barrier by jockey John Sundradas to eyeball the early leader Great Hero.
Dimesso cruised to a two-length lead round the bend and straightened up well clear.
It was left to the early favourite Walim to give chase, but to no avail. The winner was too good, romping home by 41/4 lengths in 1min 11.96sec.
Dimesso was thumped late, elbowing Walim for favouritism to pay $11 for a win.
It was the Australian-bred's second run from a five-month spell for a "stomach issue".
"I think he is quite good. He improved from his last run after the rest. Master Player, who beat him, is a nice horse. Today's field was also weak," said Kok.
While Dimesso scored second-up, Happy Moment bounced back from his first start from a similar five-month spell because of "hoof issues" to score in the Class 4 Div 2 event over the Polytrack 1,100m.
A'Isisuhairi, who replaced the disqualified Joseph See (see other story), brought the five year-old Kiwi-bred from the rear to beat 11-year-old Wonderful Knight by 11/2 lengths in 1min 04.48sec. He paid $32.
Happy Moment's two earlier victories in 2019 were as Count Me In.
"He is a good horse but his hoof issues set him back," said Kok, a Singapore Derby and Kranji Mile-winning trainer.
"I think the rain helped him. He likes it. He also carried only 50kg."
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