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Malaysian apprentice jockey Amirul Ismadi could not have hoped for a better send-off before his big-race trip to Ipoh when he scored aboard Golden Curl for his boss Stephen Gray on Friday night.
The promising rider flies back to his hometown on Saturday to ride Littlebitofjoy for his father, former top jockey-turned trainer Ismadi Ismail in the Malaysian Group 1 Perak Derby (2400m) on Sunday.
Amirul could have headed up North earlier but was in the end glad his master has held him back for two rides on Friday night – Destiny Knight and Golden Curl.
While Destiny Knight, the son of former Singapore Gold Cup winner Recast, did not fare badly at his maiden race with a seventh place to Alibi at long odds of 90-1, Golden Curl, who was much better fancied with odds slashed by a tenth of Destiny Knight’s, made the stay for Amirul all the more worthwhile, even if he was duty-bound anyway.
Capitalising on a smart jump, Amirul had the Pentire seven-year-old in an one-out one-back position from the back, holding in the favourite Famous Artist (Corey Brown) on the fence.
With a lapful of horse under him, Amirul could have waited a fraction longer, but when race-leader Pole Paradise (Kif Toh) wobbled out upon cornering and poleaxed Ganador (Elione Chaves) in the process, he threw caution to the wind.
Opening up to a two-length break, Golden Curl made a beeline for the winning post but he was not alone. Splice (Vlad Duric) and Davinci (Danny Beasley) were motoring late onto the scene but Golden Curl, who was down in grade, packed too many guns for them, holding them safely to score by just under two lengths from Splice with Davinci third another head away.
The winning time was 1min 23.8secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.
“This will boost my confidence ahead of my ride in the Perak Derby,” said the 21-year-old who captured his first Group 1 aboard the same horse in the same race last year.
“Mr Gray told me to ride him close to the pace. I think I went too early but I couldn’t hold him anymore.”
Gray was as usual mighty pleased whenever his boys come back safe and ride to instructions, with the win a bonus. Besides warmly congratulating Amirul for his textbook ride, the Kiwi also upheld his mentoring values to him all the way until he boards the plane.
“You go to Malaysia and catch up with your family and listen to your dad’s instructions in the race okay,” he told Amirul.
“Above all, you must represent us there. You represent Singapore now and you do us proud.”
Gray, who had his other apprentice jockey Azhar Rasid aboard Precious Gem (sixth) in the race, said he was a little apprehensive Amirul might have jumped the gun, but Golden Curl was just too good.
“He was down in class and with the three-kilo claim he was back to his handicap. It wasn’t a strong race,” said Gray.
“The boy rode him well. From the wide draw he had to go forward, but he was stuck out wide.
“I thought he went a bit early, but it worked out good in the end. This horse has always been a very good honest horse to us.
“He has a sore back and my assistant-trainer Peter Hutton, stable supervisor Nick Selvan and myself have a lot of time for him.”
From 37 outings, the St George Stable-owned gelding has now amassed a tidy sum of around $400,000 in prizemoney.