Nepean hands replacement rider Zaki big surprise win in EW Barker Trophy
Mohd Zaki’s biggest career win aboard Nepean (Roman Emperor) in the S$250,000 EW Barker Trophy (Gr 2, 1400m) on Sunday is the perfect example of what can happen to those who never give up hoping.
For a start, Zaki only got the call-up on outsider Nepean after jockey Matthew Kellady was stood down for dehydration.
But, looking at an even bigger picture of his overall career, just four months ago, the Kelantan-born jockey was seriously contemplating the possibility of hanging up his boots.
He was among four Malaysian jockeys stranded in Johor Bahru following the closure of Malaysian borders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemonium. It was only in August, with the easing of restrictions and after a lengthy battle to get his work permit approved, that he was able to return to the saddle in Singapore.
But even then, the 40-year-old, who has often been typecast as a shrewder jockey with leading tactics, battled to get rides, let alone quality rides.
It was eight years ago that Zaki notched his first stakes win in the Committee’s Prize (Gr 3, 1600m) with Keep Away (Air Jihad) for his former boss Hideyuki Takaoka.
To say that this second feature win, in these exceptionally challenging times, was even more significant is an understatement.
“I’m just so very lucky. It’s a lucky pick-up ride and now I have my second Group win,” said Zaki, overwhelmed with emotion.
“When Shane Baertschiger came down the jockeys’ room to ask me if I could ride his horse, I asked him ‘are you sure, boss!’. I really have to thank Shane for the ride as I rarely ride for him (only one on Absolute Maverick back in 2015), but I remember I did ride one winner for his father (Don) and I think it was also a pick-up ride (Blueberry Power in 2011).
“I also say thanks to Matthew Kellady. I pity him as he never got to ride the horse, he would have been the winning jockey, but at the same time, it became my good luck.
“This year has been so tough. I thought I’d give up riding when I was stuck in JB, I felt helpless I couldn’t do my job.
“But even when I got back, it’s been very hard to get rides, don’t even mention good rides. That’s the situation we’re all in now, trainers have fewer horses and it’s tough for everyone, but I have to keep working hard.”
With Nepean friendless at S$276, it was probably that old familiar tune of “just getting a ride is better than nothing” for Zaki, but trainer Shane Baertschiger had homed in on the frontrunning jockey even if he hardly uses his services – and he had a silent hope that the impromptu combination could hatch a surprise.
“I went through the list and I thought Zaki would be just nice as he’s good with frontrunners,” said the Australian trainer.
“I went down to ask him if he could make the weight (50 kilograms), and he was good to go. He ended riding him one kilo over.
“This horse had surgery to both fetlocks (chips removed) one year ago, and after his last run, he pulled up very lame.
“We had him re-X-rayed and we found out he had arthritis to his off fore fetlock. He had two weeks off, just walking and we then nursed him all the way to get into the EW Barker Trophy.
“I didn’t target him for that race, it’s just that after his time off, that was the only race left.
“When the rain came, I was a bit more confident as he had three starts on a rain-affected track for two wins, but I was still worried about his soundness.
“He’s actually not a bad horse. He once ran second to Top Knight in a Class 2 race beaten two lengths while giving him four kilos.
“When he straightened up, I could see Zaki still had plenty of horse. I knew he’d be hard to beat then.”
While it was not a win he could have predicted with great confidence, Baertschiger was delighted he had secured a fourth Group win for the MA Racing Stable, but the highest thus far with the first three all Group 3s.
However, it was highly unlikely Nepean would be the one to extend that record for the green and chequered flag silks in the future.
“With his lameness problems, I had actually booked Nepean to go to Malaysia. At his last start, he came back lame but today, he seems to be okay so far, we’ll have to wait.
“If he’s lame again, I’ll retire him, or else I may keep him but in any case, he’s run his last race for this season. He’s going for a break.”
Seven-year-old Nepean has more than earned his oats with five wins and five placings in 19 starts for prizemoney around the S$490,000 for the MA Racing Stable.
Recent Lion City Cup placegetter Nowyousee (O’Reilly) finished second, a length behind Nepean, with Rocket Star (Star Witness) a further three-quarters of a length back in third.
Senor Don earns late Gold ticket
A daring gamble to gain a late entry for Argentinian stayer Senor Don (Senor Candy) into next Saturday’s S$1 million Singapore Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) has all but paid off on Sunday following his maiden Singapore win in yesterday’s S$70,000 Trudeau 2013 Stakes Class 3 race over the Polytrack mile.
On 73 points, Senor Don was 22nd in the order of entry in the third and final Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series, but trainer Ricardo Le Grange is confident it should be enough to make into the last 16.
The South African trainer, however, stressed that the one proviso to a start would be for the four-year-old to show no ill-effects from Sunday’s run in which he had to slog through the rain-soaked Polytrack to stave Time Lord (Guillotine) off by half a length. Axel (Darci Brahma) finished third, another three-quarter lengths away.
“He’s got to get in now, but first he must pull up in good order,” said Le Grange.
“There was a lot of rain, so I told Krisna (Thangamani) to be up on the pace. He was fit for that race and he had to go forward.
“That was his racing pattern in Argentina, racing on the speed. He also enjoyed the Polytrack, he won on sand back home.
“I think the gelding operation straight after his last run also helped him.”
Meagher’s bargain buy Straight from able Sydney horseman
A bit of those good old six degrees of separation went some way in landing trainer Daniel Meagher a nice debut winner at long odds on.
The horse in question is Lim’s Straight (Strategic Maneuver) who came off a cushy run on the fence for jockey Tengku Rehaizat to go and dominate mostly unraced rivals in the S$75,000 Mister Yeoh 2018 Stakes Restricted Maiden race over 1200m.
The first time Meagher set eyes on the colt at the Inglis Ready To Race sale in Sydney last year, he almost walked on by to the next barn. There was not much of him at 400 kilograms, and while he trained another progeny of Strategic Maneuver (Royal Academy) in Absolute Miracle, it was not the most fashionable stallion going around.
But a casual chat with the owner-breeder would eventually lead Meagher to dip into his pocket – and he did not have to go too deep either.
“This six-foot-six bloke from the bush brought this horse out and as I was inspecting it, he asked me: ‘Hey mate, Danny Beasley is your assistant-trainer isn’t he?’,” recalled the Australian handler.
“I said ‘yes, that’s right’. He then said ‘I know Danny really well, he helped me a lot as a youngster when I was with Gai Waterhouse, please say hello to him for me.”
After ringing the former top Sydney jockey up to mention that stockman-style breeder who introduced himself as Ryan Pendergast, Meagher knew he had to get the horse.
“Danny told me he knew that tall bloke and he was with Gai Waterhouse, and he was a really good horseman. He bred one of two and that one was one of them,” said Meagher.
“So, I went back to look at the horse. He was not big, but he was a neat put-together horse and had a really good action, and was so well educated.
“I rang (racing manager) Mick (Dittman) and Mr Lim and said I had found a nice little horse for them and he won’t cost much. They laughed when I told them I paid A$20,000 for him, but Mr Lim said that was a great buy, Daniel.”
They are laughing all the way to the bank now after that debut win more than recouped their outlay with a first paycheque of around S$40,000, with the promise of more to come judging from the ease of the three-year-old’s win.
Once the gaps came up upon cornering, Lim’s Straight went hard up against the rails, shooting right past the leaders towards a most authoritative Length and a quarter win from Golden Way (Swiss Ace) with the fast-finishing Boundless Glory (Darci Brahma) third another three-parts of a length away.
The Lim’s Stable later brought up a double with Lim’s Bestbreaker (Battle Paint) for trainer Steven Burridge, aptly in one of their champion horses, the S$75,000 Lim’s Cruiser 2016 Stakes Restricted Maiden race over the Polytrack 1200m.