Jockey Wong Chin Chuen’s decision to return to riding in Singapore was probably made even better after trainer Daniel Meagher gave him the ride on Lim’s Saltoro in the $300,000 Group 1 Raffles Cup (1600m) this Sunday.
With Singapore racing coming to an end after the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) meeting on 5 October, the two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey was one of the first few jockeys who opted to seek a new base in Seoul, South Korea where he made his riding debut on 2 March. Wong has since clocked in 35 wins from 235 rides, but the five months away from his wife Charlene and son Jayden left him homesick and prompted his U-turn to his old stomping ground.
While Wong knew his “days were numbered” like everyone else in the local racing scene with nine meetings left, he was looking forward to a reunion with Meagher and the Lim’s Stable, a silk he has worn to victory in several Group races before his last rides in Singapore on 28 October last year.
Among those, Wong was best known for his six wins aboard the Meagher-trained Lim’s Kosciuszko, which all came in Group races, including two wins in the Raffles Cup last year. But the 30-year-old Malaysian jockey has since given way to French jockey Marc Lerner, who will take the reins on the two-time Horse of the Year at his title defence on Sunday, after he departed from Singapore.
Instead, he will have a new partner in the freshly crowned Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) winner, Lim’s Saltoro, and Wong cannot wait to see how the son of Shamexpress will fare at his run on Sunday.
“I’m very excited to get on him and I must thank Daniel for giving me the opportunity to ride him,” said Wong, who arrived in Singapore on Monday morning.
“The main reason I came back was to be with my wife and son because I missed them a lot after they came to visit me for two weeks in May. I discussed with my wife last month and we thought it was best for me to come back at this point of time.
“After that, I told a few trainers and Daniel was one of them. I actually knew him (Lim’s Saltoro) from his early days because I rode him a couple of times in trackwork and once in a trial (won on 31 August 2023) just before his debut win (in an Open Maiden race over 1100m on 9 September 2023).
“I could tell he’s a classy horse after the trial but I’m still quite blown away by what he has achieved today. He did very well this year and his win in the (Singapore) Derby was very impressive.
“I saw the second horse (Makin) came close to him and looked like he will run past, but (Lim’s) Saltoro was very brave to the line. I can tell he’s got a very big heart and gives his best in races.
“I won’t ride him till the race itself. He’s a bit of a character and not that easy to handle, so Marc still does his trackwork in the mornings, that’s why I haven’t had a real feel of him.
“He will be carrying the same weight (58kgs) as ‘Kosi’ (Lim’s Kosciuszko), but I know ‘Kosi’ has a very good turn of foot from my past rides on him, so we have to respect him.”
The Kedah-born hoop will also ride Lim’s Bighorn for Meagher, Pacific Sonic for trainer Tan Kah Soon, Red Dragon for trainer Mahadi Taib and Pacific Angel for trainer David Kok at the 10-race meeting.
For Meagher, electing Wong as the rider for Lim’s Saltoro was a “natural” choice given their good chemistry and close relationship, especially after Wong chose to return at this time.
“CC and I have a very good relationship and we kept in contact when he was in Korea,” said the Australian conditioner.
“When (Lim’s) Saltoro won the Derby, we decided he’d run in Raffles (Cup), and I realised I needed to find a jockey because Marc will be riding ‘Kosi’.
“CC missed his family and while we were texting, things just clicked so I rang him up two Fridays ago (26th July) and asked if he was coming back. I told him if he wanted to come back, he could ride (Lim’s) Saltoro. He said ‘yes’ pretty much straightaway.
“He had such a good rapport with us before. I have full faith in him riding my horses and so he was the obvious choice.
“We’ve come to the end (of Singapore racing) and there’s nothing much for them (Lim’s Kosciuszko and Lim’s Saltoro) but they’re both ready for that type of races.
“‘Kosi’ is terrific and in good order after he won the (Group 1) Lion City Cup (over 1200m on 28 July). It’s hard to get Marc off ‘Kosi’ because he has ridden him to five wins. I left it to Marc and he had his choice to decide who to ride.
“(Lim’s) Saltoro is five now and he’s tough. His end goal will be the (Grand Singapore) Gold Cup. It would be nice to have CC on him for all three Group races. Marc will ride ‘Kosi’ and I prefer not to change the combinations.”
Other than the Raffles Cup, Meagher was referring to two other remaining Group races on Kranji’s race fixtures, namely the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) on 7 September and the Grand Singapore Gold Cup. These three races last formed the three Legs in the Singapore Triple Crown series in 2023.
By Sharon Zhang
