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Left shellshocked by a major blowout in the first race, favourite backers were quick to pick up the pieces in the very next race on Friday night.
The opener, a $30,000 Class 5 Division 1 race over 1100m, saw roughie Leo spring a $125 upset to the delight of trainer Donna Logan and her in-form apprentice jockey Chan Wei Sheng, but not quite to that of most punters at Kranji.
But that early blip was quickly forgotten when even-money favourite Amazing Choice (Benny Woodworth) took out the very next race, the $20,000 Maiden-2 race over 1400m, to thicken punters' wallets back.
Jumping from barrier No 1, the son of Melbourne Cup winner Shocking was sooled along to hold his spot, while keeping Ma Bao Bao (John Sundradas) and Nate's Honour (Michael Rodd) on his outside.
The second half of the race did not stray from its script thereafter. As the two tiring leaders rolled out at the top of the straight, Amazing Choice burst through, and with Woodworth getting down to work in Australian style (he switches between that and an English style), they gradually parted ways with the chasing pack.
Though Amazing Choice was a little one-paced late, he was still able to fend off a late challenge from Best Bay (Ben Thompson) rather comfortably. Half-a-length split the winner from his first placegetter with Desmond Koh's beginner Sun Formation (Noh Senari) third short head away.
The winning time was 1min 23.68secs for the 1400m on the Short Course.
Walker said that Amazing Choice was not really a natural leader, but the plan to roll forward was borne out of the gate the Raffles Racing Stable-owned gelding drew.
"That is not necessarily the way to ride him. We had to make use of the draw," said the Kiwi handler.
"He needs more ground. He will improve over more distance."
Woodworth was sealing his 17th success for Walker – and his 28th overall – to cement his third place in the Singapore jockey's premiership, the highest spot he had sat in for a very long time.
The Malaysian jockey said with waiting tactics not producing the results they expected at Amazing Choice's last start when a closing third to My Boss in an Open Maiden race (1400m) on June 28, he wanted to be the bunny this time around.
"It was an average field he was running in tonight. We didn't want to get stuck behind some slow horses like last time," said Woodworth who was aboard at that last outing.
"We held the rails and once I gave him a squeeze, he quickened up really well. Well done to Mark, that horse was well prepared for that race."
With a second place and a third place from his previous three starts, Amazing Choice has taken his total earnings past the $16,000 mark for the Raffles Racing Stable, for what will serve as a nice appetiser ahead of the Raffles-Walker-Woodworth triumvirate's more auspicious assignment with Sacred Croix in the $1 million Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) on Sunday.
