3 minute read
Anticipation filled the atmosphere as 10,000 racegoers gathered at the Singapore Racecourse on Saturday, 5 October 2024, to commemorate a meaningful chapter and pay tribute to a horse racing legacy that has spanned generations.
The specially curated meeting was Singapore Turf Club's way of saying "thank you" from the bottom of our hearts to supportive racegoers over the years. In addition to the grandiose trackside celebration of Smart Star's win in the $1.38 million Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m), brilliant hues of purple and blue smoke filled the air from the pyrotechnic displays against the Astrovision displaying a huge "THANK YOU" to the Grandstand crowd.
Introduced by Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read as the Singapore Sporting Club in 1842, racing has since captured the hearts of many from its early days at Farrer Park racecourse, Bukit Timah racecourse and till now, at the Kranji racecourse.
In a fitting tribute to 182 years of glorious horse racing in Singapore, the Club staged 10 races with nine of them named after historical figures, personalities, people, horses and even a landmark linked to the local racing industry like the Rocket Man Cup, the William Henry Macleod Read Cup and the Abdul Mawi Cup, and the last one fittingly being the iconic Singapore Gold Cup, which was first run in 1924.
It was a sight to behold. From the corporate boxes to the Trophy Lounge to the ground level at the Grandstand building, screams of sheer delight were heard every time thundering hooves skipped past the finishing line, many times at the end of thrilling blanket finishes. In those moments, everyone cheered in unison, albeit for different horses, a sight that clearly spoke volumes of the shared passion for the Sport of Kings.
Be it the sight of serious form students staring fixedly at the runners circling in the parade ring, the mad rush to the betting windows just before the gates crash back to the rapturous cheers that spur these majestic gallopers all the way to the homestraight, all will be etched in the memories of many generations of racing fans from all walks of life.
Together with my racing writer Larry Foley, it has been a pleasure penning down celebrated racing milestones and achievements for our readers over the years.
Here is a final look back on the 10-month season in 2024.
JANUARY
6 January – Trainer Richard Lim picks up his first feature race win and a treble at the first meeting of the year. Following The Shadow and Lord's Command's wins, Super Salute caps off the day for Lim by taking out the Group 3 New Year Cup (1200m) under jockey Manoel Nunes. The latter boots home a four-timer, thanks to Golden Brown, Lord's Command and Flying Nemo's win in the last race. Fellow jockey Marc Lerner also bags four wins with The Shadow, September, Flaming Migliore and Khao Manee.
14 January – Trainer Jason Ong and jockey Bruno Queiroz brings up a quartet of wins each after opening their accounts at the second meeting. Ong gets off the mark with Wins One, before combining to a win with Queiroz atop Silver Dragon, and also scores with Wait U Know and Surrey Hills. Besides Silver Dragon, Queiroz also wins aboard Nineoneone, Benbo and Strike Gold.
20 January – Comeback jockey Ryan Curatolo bags his first win aboard the Tan Kah Soon-trained Commander Jones at his first ride.
FEBRUARY
11 February – Ridden by visiting jockey Chad Schofield, Golden Monkey takes out the Group 3 Fortune Bowl (1400m) on the second day of Chinese New Year. Australian jockey Jaden Lloyd wins his first race in Singapore atop the Daniel Meagher-trained Pacific Beauty.
MARCH
9 March – Brazilian jockey Carlos Henrique scores his first Singapore win atop the Donna Logan-trained Santino and for good measure, fires in a double aboard the Ricardo Le Grange-trained Bestseller in the Group 3 Committee's Prize (1600m). Trainer Jerome Tan hits his century win milestone in Singapore with Tantheman while jockey Manoel Nunes bags his 700th Singapore win on pick-up ride, Lim's Bighorn and also takes home two other wins, Mission Five and Diamond Ring.
17 March – Jockey Vlad Duric boots home a treble atop Pacific General, Sweet N Sour and Pacific Spirit, with the latter handing him his 700th milestone win in Singapore. Homebound New Zealand trainer Stephen Crutchley bids Kranji farewell with his 26th winner, Sweet N Sour.
APRIL
6 April – Trained by Ricardo Le Grange, Ace Of Diamonds hands Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz his first Group win in Singapore after he took out the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m). Malaysian jockey Mohd Zaki springs a major upset atop Wednesday at his first win of the season. Visiting jockey Daniel Moor pulls off a double aboard Pacific Gold and Pacific MV, both for trainer David Kok.
13 April – Jockey Bernardo Pinheiro picks up a hat-trick of wins atop Last Samurai, War Warrior and Super Baby at his first meeting back in Singapore while another returning jockey Ruan Maia pulls off a double aboard Kinabalu Light and Pacific Spirit after three years away from Kranji.
21 April – Jockey Marc Lerner bags his 200th Singapore win atop the Daniel Meagher-trained Lim's Kosciuszko in the Group 2 EW Barker Trophy (1400m). Visiting jockey Chad Schofield scores with Saint Tropez.
27 April – Barely six days after winning the EW Barker Trophy, trainer Daniel Meagher and jockey Marc Lerner combined with another Lim's Stable-owned galloper, Lim's Bighorn to take out the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m). After 24 years of training in Singapore, New Zealand trainer Stephen Gray bows out of Kranji with four runners at his last meeting. His 825th and last winner was Simon on 2 March.
MAY
12 May – French jockey Charles Perkins boots home his first Singapore win atop the Jerome Tan-trained Sacred Gold.
18 May – Lim's Kosciuszko wins back-to-back Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m) after his victory last year. Ace Of Diamonds scores in impressive fashion in the Group 2 Singapore Guineas (1600m). Visiting jockey Chad Schofield pulls off a double atop Buuraq Sixty-One and Greatham Boy for trainer Tim Fitzsimmons.
25 May – Comeback jockey Simon Kok Wei Hoong takes out his first 2024 win aboard pick-up ride, Red Maned in the opener.
28 May – Lim's Kosciuszko is crowned the Horse Of The Year for the second time in a row at the Singapore Racing Awards 2023 award ceremony. Jason Ong wins the Champion Trainer title, while the Champion Jockey, Champion Resident Jockey and Champion Apprentice Jockey awards goes to Manoel Nunes, Wong Chin Chuen and Jerlyn Seow respectively. Lim's Stable bags the Champion Owner award.
JUNE
1 June – Panamanian and eight-time Macau champion jockey Luis Corrales opens his Kranji account atop the Richard Lim-trained Combustion.
9 June – Lim's Saltoro claims his first Group race victory in the Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m).
22 June – Singaporean jockey Darren Danis knocks in his first Kranji win atop Run Buddy Run at his 21st ride.
30 June – Lim's Saltoro gets up by a short head to take out the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m). Visiting jockey Chad Schofield wins aboard the Fitzsimmons-trained Dancing Light.
JULY
21 July – Lim's Saltoro fends off a strong challenge to take out his first Group 1 win in the Singapore Derby (1800m) and caps off a first four-timer for trainer Daniel Meagher, who won earlier with Sweet N Sour, Always Together and Pacific Beauty. Visiting jockey Tyler Schiller opens his account in Singapore atop Always Together while regular one-day visitor Hugh Bowman bags one win aboard Te Akau Ben.
28 July – Hot favourite Lim's Kosciuszko duly salutes in the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m), making it three wins on the trot in Singapore's premier sprint race. Korea-bound jockey Ruan Maia wins aboard Ocean Jupiter, his last ride at Kranji.
AUGUST
4 August – Apprentice jockey Sazali Ramli scores his second career win atop Stop The Water after eight years.
11 August – Comeback jockey Wong Chin Chuen snags the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1600m) for the third time, albeit aboard new partner, Lim's Saltoro. Veteran jockey Saifudin Ismail breaks the duck this year atop outsider, Don't Forget Boss.
SEPTEMBER
7 September – Lim's Kosciuszko wins the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m), handing trainer Daniel Meagher his first victory in the feature race.
OCTOBER
5 October – Outsider Smart Star hands trainer David Kok his first Singapore Gold Cup victory after he surprised at long odds to take out the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) with South African visiting jockey Muzi Yeni astride.
Jockey Bruno Queiroz boots home four wins atop Ciango, The Wild Chief, Pacific Warrior and Pacific Padrino to sit on 58 wins with last year's Singapore champion jockey and fellow Brazilian Nunes, who has only one win in Ocean Jupiter at the final meeting, but the young hoop goes on to claim his first Singapore champion jockey title based on a better countback for seconds. Five-time Singapore champion jockey Nunes also did not leave Kranji without leaving a mark in history after he clocked in a total of 738 wins in Singapore, finishing third behind retired jockeys Barend Vorster (789 wins) and Saimee Jumaat (776 wins) on the all-time Kranji winners' list for jockeys.
Trainer Daniel Meagher bags four wins with Lim's Shavano, Lim's Bighorn, Pacific Warrior and Pacific Padrino while jockey Wong Chin Chuen scores a three-timer on board Te Akau Ben, Lim's Shavano and Lim's Bighorn. Retiring trainer Kuah Cheng Tee's sole runner of the day, Ciango, scores in the opener.
Following the conclusion of the finale meeting, trainer Jason Ong bags his second Singapore champion trainer title on 79 wins while his apprentice jockey, Jerlyn Seow wins the champion apprentice jockey title consecutively for a second time with 20 wins.