3 minute read
Trainer David Kok’s astute placing of his small team of horses paid dividends again when Happy Moment doubled up on the quick back-up on Saturday.
A surprise first-up winner in a 1000m speed scamper for Class 4 customers last Sunday, the Showcasing five-year-old previously known as Count Me In was just as imperious six days later in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1000m.
Ridden this time by Oscar Chavez (A'Isisuhairi Kasim was up at his last win), Happy Moment ($17) enjoyed a good suck behind the fighting trio of Arion Passion (Koh Teck Huat), Magnifique (Yusoff Fadzli) and California (Krisna Thangamani) before asserting his superiority once he was peeled into clear galloping room.
Magnifique stuck on gallantly for second place two lengths away with Zygarde (Zyrul Nor Azman) running on for third place another neck away.
Hot favourite and debut winner Hamama (Hakim Kamaruddin) had her job cut out when she swung for home spotting the leaders around eight lengths. To her credit, she did make inroads inside the last furlong, but could only grab fourth place another 1 ¾ lengths away.
Happy Moment clocked a slick 58.42secs for the 1000m, an expected upshot from the breakneck clip the early pacesetters went at in the first half of the race.
With that fourth win from 14 starts, Happy Moment has now racked up close to $115,000 in stakes earnings, split roughly around two ways between new owner Sia Wei Kiang and his first owner, Mauritian businessman Stephen Tin.
Kok said he had no hesitation in earmarking Saturday's race after he saw Happy Moment still in a bright disposition following his previous win.
"He pulled up so well last week, and I always thought this horse was underclass," said the Singaporean handler.
"He won over 1100m last time and when I saw that 1000m race this week, I decided to run him again. He loves such races.
"He's won on grass before, but it so happened there were Polytrack races when he came back racing. I definitely won't mind running him over 1200m on turf next, even up to 1400m.
"I've run him a few times over 1400m. He didn't win, but he also had foot issues then, so it's worth trying again.
"Today, I just told Oscar to sit and wait from the good draw (two) as that's his pattern – let him relax and come home. Mark Walker's mare Hamama was the favourite, but second-up, mares can be unpredictable."
Speaking of double joy, Kok later went on to saddle a training double with $19 favourite Leggenda coming home with a well-timed run to just pip Wednesday (Shafiq Rizuan) by a head three races later in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race over 1200m.
The win handed Chavez a hat-trick of wins as he had opened proceedings with Captain Singapore ($12) in the Division 1 of the other $30,000 Class 5 race over 1200m. With the big result, the Panamanian hoop jumps two rungs (past A'Isisuhairi Kasim and Juan Paul van der Merwe) from eighth to sixth spot on 17 winners, only four winners below the Top Five.
