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Urgent family matters will see Simon Kok Wei Hoong miss the riding action at Kranji for the whole month of January to the new 2021 season.

Kok, who just claimed back-to-back Singapore champion apprentice jockey titles, was conspicuous by his absence at the opening meeting on January 3, which gave rise to a few queries, especially from his legion of fans given he was neither suspended nor injured.

It turned out that the 25-year-old had to rush to his Ipoh hometown to be by his gravely ill grandfather's bedside.

His master Steven Burridge confirmed on Thursday that his apprentice jockey would not be back to Singapore until January 18.

"On the day we were supposed to have Christmas lunch, he found out his grandfather's condition had deteriorated. He had to cancel the lunch to drive up to Ipoh," said the Australian trainer.

"He recently let us know he will come back on January 18, but because he has to serve a two-week quarantine, he will miss the whole month of January.

"He should be back riding in races at the first meeting of February (7th)."

Kok was serving a one-day suspension for careless riding aboard Sure Will Do at the time the bad family news came through. He took it at the last 2020 meeting on December 27, but he was already home and hosed in the apprentice jockey's championship sitting 13 winners clear of Hakim Kamaruddin on 34 winners.

With Kok missing five meetings in January (3, 9, 16, 23 and 30), he will have some catching up to do when he rejoins the competition, but giving a big start at the beginning of the season is not new to him.

In 2019 at his second season, he missed the first three months after a short stint in Tasmania, but quickly made up for lost time to career away to his first title.