Trainer Saimee Jumaat welcomed Orient Express’s first win with a sense of relief on Friday night.
The former eight-time Singapore champion jockey said he had been at his wit’s end trying to get the Pour Moi five-year-old to find the line, let alone a jockey to ride him in the S$20,000 Open Maiden-2 race over 1200m.
In the end, he put his apprentice jockey Yusoff Fadzli on, and it proved to be the right combination for the night, and for that much-needed first hurrah.
Odds-on favourite and impressive barrier trial winner Lim’s Moment was all the rage and looking the part when he strolled to the lead, but Orient Express was in a mood to show some cheek when he clapped onto the speed in second spot.
Lim’s Moment tried to raise another gallop in the home straight, but it soon became a clear possibility his short quote would be claiming a few casualties at the tote window.
On the outside, another newcomer, Romantic was looming like the one who would lower the colours of the hotpot, but it was Orient Express who had the last say as he darted in between the pair to split them asunder, knocking Romantic off by a neck with Lim’s Moment a short head away in third place.
The winning time was 1min 11.94secs for the Polytrack dash over the 1200m.
Raced by the Red Hare Racing Stable, Orient Express was breaking his maiden status after having raced 13 times between Kranji and New Zealand for one second at his country of origin before replicating that rank at his fifth Kranji start, both over 1200m, clearly his optimal journey at this stage.
“It’s such a relief he has finally made it,” said Saimee.
“I couldn’t find a jockey for him. I rang up a few, sent a few messages around, but they all gave him the thumbs-down.
“In the end, I put my apprentice Yusoff with the claim, it was his last chance for him and it’s good they won. Yusoff has been doing well and deserved last week’s win (on High Street).
“He’s improved a lot. He has some racing sense now while he used to ride like a four-kilo claimer before. “He’s a lot more clued on and knows what racing is all about now.”
