By Michael Lee, Singapore Turf Club
All the early predictions that Manoel Nunes will run rings around the other Kranji jockeys this year are slowly but surely coming true after the mercurial rider had a day out with five winners on the 11-race programme on Saturday.
After four years riding elsewhere around the world, the former three-time Singapore champion jockey made an unexpected return to Kranji at the end of last year, giving racegoers a foretaste of things to come in 2022 – eight winners in only 32 rides, translated as one winner for every four rides.
The Brazilian jumped on terms this time, and how he has leapt out of the starting blocks from Day 1, culminating with his prolific Saturday to hit 20 winners in 66 rides for an even healthier strike rate of 30%.
Scooping up winners by the spades is quite common for Nunes, but five is not his all-time best in Singapore. On July 4, 2014, the former Macau multiple-champion jockey won six races at Kranji aboard Snitzel Spirit, Big Harvest, Sand Lane, City Lad, Danny and Reach For The Sun.
“It’s one of those days when things just went well for me. I had good rides, but I also needed luck in the running,” said Nunes.
“I’ve ridden five winners before, but six was my best score back in 2014.”
After firing the first salvo in the opener with Fireworks, he got back onto the scoreboard another four more times with The Bullet, Born To Win, all for Tim Fitzsimmons (see earlier report) Luck Of Master for Desmond Koh and Prosperous Return for Michael Clements.
Prosperous Return was indeed making a successful comeback first-up since his creditable fifth to Hard Too Think in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) in October.
Nunes has been riding the Tivic Stable-owned galloper in trackwork, and knew straight away there was an engine in there.
“When I jumped on the horse, I could feel the energy, and he went on to show what a really good horse he is,” he said.
“I rode him back in the field and he ran on very well. He’s a lovely horse.
“I’m sure he’ll improve after that first run. I thought the 1200m was a bit sharp, but I rode him quiet so he can finish it off.”
Prosperous Return was among a pool of quality horses Clements could tap from for the big races last year. He fared okay, but the ultimate test, the Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) was dodged in favour of a break instead.
Assistant-trainer Michael White must have felt vindicated after the tough decision they made to bypass the $1 million time-honoured race in November paid dividends three months later.
“He’s a promising horse. We skipped the Gold Cup last year as we felt he wasn’t ready for such a race after the QEII Cup,” said the Australian horseman.
“We gave him a nice break and even though the distance was too short today, we thought he was the best horse in the race.”
Prosperous Return certainly looked the part at the 300m when he came off a smothered run in the rear division to dash through the pack with a pulsating kick.
Another resuming horse in Sure Will Do (Wong Chin Chuen) was also in the mix when he came swooping down on the outside, but he had not reckoned with Prosperous Return who produced the better turn of foot on the inside to score by one length from Sure Will Do with Stunning Cat (Jake Bayliss) third another neck away.
The winning time was 1min 10.10secs for the 1200m on the Short Course.
Well backed into $12, Prosperous Return clocked 1min 10.10secs for the 1200m on the Short Course and has now made in excess of $210,000 in prizemoney for the Tivic Stable of Thomas Loke.
After they sidestepped the Holy Grail for Prosperous Return last year, they may well revisit those plans this season now that he is one year older.
The Singapore Gold Cup is still some time away on November 11, but there is another closer silverware up for grabs, and one would think more within his compass.
“He may go for the Gold Cup this year, we’ll see, but first, there is the Derby on his radar,” said White.
Once the race trainers dream of for their four-year-olds, the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) is now a standalone feature race (the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge has been discontinued) and is due on July 17.
