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New Singapore champion trainer Mark Walker wrapped up his first title-winning season on a high note by ringing up another training double on Sunday.
After stretching his lead to 84 winners with Court Case and Viviano last Friday, the 43-year-old doubled up with another pair of winners on Sunday, Lady Iffraaj and Clutha Lad, both bought by Walker’s main supporter, prominent New Zealand owner David Ellis of Te Akau Racing Stable, who also owns Court Case and incidentally, around 25 of Walker’s tally of 86 winners. Lady Iffraaj is, however, raced by another one of Walker's loyal owners, the Fortuna NZ Racing Stable.
Walker, who was Ellis’s trainer at Matamata and a five-time New Zealand champion trainer before he moved to Singapore in 2010, could not have hoped of a better way to wrap up his prolific season.
“We saddled a big team on Friday (12) and today (19), and to get four winners was a bit expected,” he said.
“The score could have been better as we had many seconds, three today and two last Friday, but to get 86 winners, I can’t complain. Again, I can’t stress enough it was a team effort all year round from (assistant-trainer) Gussy (Clutterbuck) to all the syces as well as the track riders and my two main jockeys, Shafiq (Rizuan) and (Manoel) Nunes.”
Walker added that Sunday’s latest two Te Akau winners typify the handy New Zealand breeds who have formed the backbone of his success from Day 1.
“Well done to David Ellis who bought those two at Karaka relatively cheap. David bought Lady Iffraaj on behalf of Fortuna NZ Racing for only NZ$27,000 while I think Clutha Lad cost NZ$42,000,” he said.
“Clutha Lad is no superstar but he’s already won around $250,000 for David. If you want to go shopping, you should go to Karaka.
“Clutha Lad has a lot of ability but he bled a few times. Today, the pattern of the race suited him and he’s produced a good finish to win.”
Ridden by Oscar Chavez, the Thorn Park six-year-old had all to do as he brought up the rear for most of the 1700m journey of the $80,000 Class 3 race before tacking on to the speed from the 800m to swing for home the widest.
Power Play (Nooresh Juglall) seemed to have the race all parcelled up when he hit the front and stuck to his task with great determination, but he could not quite find an answer to Clutha Lad’s superior acceleration inside the last 400m. Clutha Lad ($33) gradually gained the upperhand to go and score by three parts of a length from Power Play with Blossoms Sequel (Alan Munro) plugging on for third another half-a-length away. The winning time was 1min 45.35secs for the 1700m on Polytrack.
As for Lady Iffraaj ($22), the three-year-old filly had already given a glimpse of her ability with two seconds and one third in three starts before she finally stormed home for her account-opener under Corey Brown in the $65,000 Initiation race over 1000m.
Both Brown and Chavez were benefitting from the absence of Nunes and Shafiq, both champions in the senior and apprentice ranks respectively, due to suspension, as they normally do not ride all that often for Walker.
For Chavez, who never rode for Walker until this weekend, it was a nod that came mainly as a reward for doing the hard yards on schooling noted barrier rogue Court Case. The Panamanian-born horseman was chuffed he had been able to return the favour with two winners.
“Clutha Lad was cruising at the 700m. I knew he couldn’t lose and he would win easy,” said Chavez.
“A big thank you to Mark for supporting me with those rides today and on Friday. I really appreciate it and I congratulate him on becoming Singapore champion trainer.”
Walker will evidently be at the receiving end of many other well wishes on his first Singapore premiership title for a while, but none could probably be more meaningful than from the person who has worked with him the closest.
“I’m not all surprised that Mark has won the premiership in Singapore, because he’s such a great horseman” said Ellis all the way from New Zealand.
“He has the ability to get inside a horse’s head, and he understands the importance of making a horse happy, keeping it happy so that it can go to the races and give its best.
“Horses only do that if they are happy and Mark seems to have an unbelievable way of understanding the individual characteristics of each horse and how to get the best out of them. And I think that’s why he’s so successful.
“Not only does he have a natural ability, but he is also a very hard-working guy. He phones me most mornings at 8.30 am New Zealand time, which is 3.30 am in Singapore, so he puts in a very long day – everyday.”
Walker will not have to wake up so early to speak to Ellis in the next two weeks during the racing break in Singapore. He flies to New Zealand on Tuesday, both to celebrate his success and Christmas, and carry on the work as he is not one to sleep on his laurels.
“We’re just so excited with the prospect of having him home in New Zealand on Tuesday,” said Ellis. “We’re having a party to celebrate his premiership win and he will enjoy going around inspecting all the yearling drafts with us.
“He’ll be with us on Wednesday afternoon at the races in Matamata, and the Boxing Day races at Ellerslie, which will give all our owners a chance to catch up with him.
“Mark is really looking forward to seeing our 2000 Guineas winning colt Xtravagant (Pentire) and another top colt in Scrutinize (Savabeel).”