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Rank-outsider In Fact was the least likely runner of trainer Patrick Shaw’s quartet to come up roses in the $200,000 Group 3 JBBA Moonbeam Vase (1800m) on Sunday, but that was exactly how it panned out in the end.
You could hear a pin drop at Kranji after the $274 roughie held off a late challenge from favourite Titanium to stretch his head across the line and hang on to one of Singapore’s biggest shock victories in a feature race in recent times.
Shaw took his hat off to his apprentice jockey Mohd Firdaus for a masterly ride beyond his years. After a moderate jump from his barrier No 1, he hunted his mount up to be one of the early leaders before dropping back to midfield where they scraped paint on the rails before going for broke at the top of the straight.
At that point, it was doubtful Shaw’s eyes were trained on his good friend and big owner Fred Crabbia’s black and red maltese cross colours.
After enjoying the best seat outside leader Order Of The Sun (Benny Woodworth) from the word go, Shaw’s Time Odyssey (Corey Brown) was ticking the most boxes when he levelled up with Order Of The Sun as the leading pack put the point of turn astern. But that sizzling turn of foot that paralysed scores of rivals twice in a row back in January and made the Jet Master four-year-old a hot Derby ante-post favourite had sadly gone amiss.
With Time Odyssey going up and down at the one spot and soon going under, eyes then turned to Shaw’s “blue-blood” and imposing last-start winner Blue Danube to save his day. But the Argentinian Group 1 winner looked flat as a biscuit despite Barend Vorster’s desperate urgings to push him through acres of galloping room ahead.
Solace for Shaw then suddenly took the shape of Majestic Moments (Nooresh Juglall) whose stamina compared to the other Shaws had ironically always been a touch suspect. Not on Sunday, though, when he was peeled off the back of Time Odyssey before gunning him down with ease at the 300m.
Like a domino effect, it was Majestic Moments’ turn to get knocked down when In Factmaterialised out of nowhere with clearly the most stinging burst at that point. Shaw’s joker was about to get the last laugh, but maybe not just yet when Titanium (Manoel Nunes) came rattling home like a freight train on the outside.
The crowd held its breath, but Shaw’s favourite scattergun tactics in middle-distance feature races have again proven their might. Even when his top soldiers fall, there is always one last horse standing and rising from the dugouts - and that one last bullet was even able to stop Titanium.
Shaw was himself a little stunned by the unlikely identity of the horse who had handed him his first Moonbeam Vase and from now on, a lovely Seiko watch around his wrist, courtesy of the sponsors, the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association (JBBA), but said he had not quite pulled a rabbit out of the hat either.
“I think he overraced (ran in too many races) last prep and we gave him a break and he’s come back in great order,” said the South African mentor.
“He’s been working well and his comeback in a 1400m race was very good. He’s always had ability; don’t forget he ran Quechua to a head in the New Year Cup last year.
“The kid rode him a cracker. He deserves a big win as he works very hard for us.
“I don’t have any plans for In Fact, just look for a similar feature race over some distance for him, I guess. But I’m very pleased for Fred as it’s been a while since he won a big race.”
As a matter of fact, pun fully intended, Rocket Man’s owner last captured a “black type” race in Singapore with Slew Of Lode in the now-defunct Group 3 Marsiling Classic Stakes (1800m) on March 22, 2015.
On the other hand, Shaw said the defeats of his trio of Singapore Derby hopefuls have left him with a bittersweet taste.
“Majestic Moments ran very well and he’s definitely going for the Derby,” he said.
“Blue Danube was disappointing. He was flat-footed and I will put a set of blinkers on him next.
“He’s still a colt and I give him the benefit of the doubt, but if blinkers don’t work, we will give him the snip because it’s not natural that he ran such a bad race. He was the first horse gone.
“As for Time Odyssey, Corey said the canter-sprint pace didn’t suit him. He needs a fast pace.
“I’ll see how all of them pull up but obviously, I’d like to think the Derby is still on for them as you turn four only once.”
A five-year-old Argentinian-bred by Lode, In Fact has brought his record to three wins and eight placings from 22 starts for stakes earnings past the $370,000 mark for Crabbia.
Firdaus, who was at his first feature win in Singapore since crossing the Causeway in July 2014, said he went into the event with no pressure resting on his shoulders, but was glad to be at the receiving end of his biggest prize at his new adopted base.
“It’s fantastic. I didn’t expect the horse to win, but today he raced better than at his last run,” said the Johor Bahru rider who partnered In Fact at his resuming race.
“In the race, I was able to get a good spot on the fence. He was travelling well on the bit and I was happy to be sitting behind on the inside of Nooresh (Majestic Moments).
“In the straight, the gaps closed and I was trapped behind Nooresh and Corey, but once I switched him to the outside, he gave a very nice kick to win the race narrowly.”
Formerly indentured to Malcolm Thwaites in Kuala Lumpur, Firdaus was a runner-up on the Malaysian apprentice jockeys’ premiership in 2013 before he moved South to Shaw. His Kranji career got off to a promising start with 14 winners, but stalled a little last year (10 winners).
The 27-year-old bounced back to form this year and currently leads the apprentice jockeys’ table on 12 wins, four clear of Troy See, but from his total haul of 71 winners thus far, there is no doubt who “In Fact” now holds pride of place in his heart.
“Thanks to my boss for the ride. This is one of the best days of my life for sure,” he said.
“I am leading now, but there is still a long way to go. I hope I can also become champion apprentice jockey this year.”