Walker simply Remarkable
3-time S'pore champ saddles five winners for same stable to cross the six-century mark, back in the lead
Three-time Singapore champion trainer Mark Walker and the aptly named Remarkable Stable were in unstoppable form at Kranji yesterday.
The new partnership created a trivia of sorts by winning five events in a row with six runners - the first four races with What You Like, I Am Sacred, Sacred Don and Savvy Command - and Race 8 with Amazing Choice.
Their final runner, Sacred Croix in Race 12, finished a close fifth. In all, Walker fielded the biggest team with 21 runners in 11 of the 14 races staged.
The New Zealander needed just two winners to reach his 600th milestone at Kranji and his five-timer have taken his total to 603 and his season's tally to 29.
He has retaken the lead from Michael Clements, who went into yesterday's meeting one winner in front and just added Race 5 winner So Hi Class for winner No. 26.
Walker was pleased with his great outing and, as usual, praised his capable assistant Gus Clutterbuck and his team.
"It's a great result, but what you really need to get where we are now is good staff behind you, and nobody's better than Gus Clutterbuck," he said.
The trainer added that Remarkable Stable, which races with the chessboard colours, is made up of his New Zealand friends, with horses leased from Raffles Racing Stable.
"I set it up early when I came to Singapore and my children Xavier and Alexis even designed the black-and-white checked colours. They never really got used until the Remarkable Stable came back into play when I leased the Raffles Racing Stable horses to them."
The combination's first winner What You Like, who raced formerly as Atlantic Fox, came as a surprise in the opening race.
Neglected in the betting, apprentice jockey CK Ng steered the $119 outsider to deny champion jockey-turned trainer Saimee Jumaat his first winner of the season.
Saimee's Stardice, who was shouted the winner, lost by a neck in the Class 5 Div 1 event over the Polytrack 1,200m.
South African jockey Juan Paul van der Merwe followed up for Walker and Remarkable on newcomer I Am Sacred, who led all the way in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden (1) event over the 1,200m on turf.
Strongly supported in the last minute, he paid $17.
Apprentice jockey K Hakim made it three-up for his master and Remarkable with a beautiful ride on $51 shot Sacred Don.
He fended off the fast-finishing Street Party in the $50,000 Class 4 Div 1 race over the Poly 1,200m by a neck.
Another newcomer, $39-chance Savvy Command, then took the fourth under jockey Benny Woodworth in the Division 2 event for Restricted Maiden horses over 1,200m.
"Mark Walker is having a day out, so is Remarkable Stable. This has been some performance, we're seeing something pretty special this afternoon," said racecaller Dan Cobby, who was on his last day at Kranji.
But that was not the end.
In Race 8, Ng, who partnered Amazing Choice to finish second just a week ago, made amends on the Walker-Remarkable horse.
For a fleeting moment, it looked like Retallica was safely home but Ng persevered. He got his $21 chance up to win by a neck in the $30,000 Class 5 Div 2 race over the Poly 1,200m.
The win got Cobby all excited again. "He's done it again. What a day,that's five for Walker," he blared.
Race presenter Nicholas Child was not surprised Walker saddled five winners. "But same owners, same colours is quite extraordinary," he said.
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