3 minute read

Australian jockey Michael Rodd capped a memorable week with a third winning treble on Friday night, including a Group 1 win for good measure.

The Rodd rampage began last Friday with King Zoustar, Cracking Tottie and Ottawa, followed by an identical haul the following Sunday with Raffles Cup winner Debt Collector, Gold Reward and Murrayfield.

Even with only three races designated for Kranji-based riders at the Premier Gateway International Jockeys Challenge meeting on Tuesday, Rodd still stayed on the scoresheet with one winner, Sacred Magic.

The purple patch didn’t stop there with Rodd bringing up another hat-trick of wins at this Friday’s standalone meeting aboard Centenary Diamond, Cash Is King and Our Pinnacle.

All up, the Melbourne Cup-winning jockey has banged in 10 winners in four meetings!

More significantly, the winning bounty has translated into a sudden change in complexion to the Singapore jockeys’ premiership landscape.

Reigning Singapore champion jockey Vlad Duric saw the commanding lead he had enjoyed for a long time dwindle dramatically to only one winner on Rodd (57 vs 56) in one fell swoop.

As opposed to red-hot Rodd, the fellow Victorian rider came up with only one winner during the same period, Destroyer Eclipse – not to mention he had no joy with his three rides in the PGI contest.

The way Rodd is going, he may well win on a broomstick, but in his typical modest style, he said he was just lucky to have sat on good horses - and the roles might well be reversed any time.

In other words, the title race was still anybody’s game, not forgetting third-placed Olivier Placais was still very much in the running, even if the French jockey’s four-day suspension and a blank day at his riding comeback on Friday has seen him lose some steam and detach himself a little – seven winners behind Duric on 50 winners.

“I spoke to Vlad about that just now and it’s true I had super rides this week, especially tonight, but I’m sure I’ll have my quiet time, too,” said Rodd as he weighed in after steering home the Stephen Gray-trained Our Pinnacle in the $60,000 Class 4 Premier race over 1400m, the third pin of his riding treble.

“I’m glad I was able to punch home some winners while the sun shines.”

On Our Pinnacle, Rodd said Gray had told him the one-time winner in New Zealand might be a little underdone second-up, but his staying ability might still get him over the line.

“I was rapt Stephen put me on for the ride. He did tell me he missed one piece of work, but he might still be right as he is a natural stayer and can still finish it off,” said Rodd.

“With the horse scratching (Paragon Star), I thought he could go with the pace, but he had to work a little before he found the lead.

“He then switched off nicely and he was such a pleasure to ride. I had to wind him up down the hill when another horse (Justice Lass) came next to him.

“Once he got on the bit, he took off again in the straight and won a nice race.”

Our Pinnacle ($27) was never in doubt once Rodd gave him full bore inside the last 300m. Michael Clements’ mare Loving You (Alysha Collett) boldly tried to cut him back, but had to settle for the runner-up spot, beaten a length.

Loving You’s stablemate and favourite Top Knight (Glen Boss) warmed up late to the task, but the race was all over as he settled for third place another half-a-length away. The winning time was 1min 23.28secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.

Gray said he was not surprised at all Our Pinnacle had already stamped himself as a Singapore Derby prospect at only his second Kranji start.

“There is an interesting story behind this horse. He was trained by Cliff Goss, a great trainer in New Zealand who used to train in Macau and is now past 85, but who is still fit and well,” said the Kiwi handler.

“Cliff owned and trained this horse himself, more as a hobby. He had three starts in New Zealand for one win.

“One day, we discussed and he said this horse could be a Singapore Derby horse. We got a group together, and raced half of the shares with Cliff.

“It’s the same bunch of owners (Rajah Blue A Stable) who owned El Don (former Kranji horse trained by Gray), who has now won two races in Australia for Peter Gelagotis. He went there because he is a 2400m horse and there are no races for him here.

“But this Our Pinnacle is a really nice horse, and I knew he’d run well tonight as he ran real super at his first start (fourth to Elise in a Class 4 Premier race over 120m on August 12).

“He’s trialled well since. He’s easy to train and he had a good rider on.

“I’m really happy he won because Cliff and my father (Kevin) were good friends in Palmerston. Many people don’t realise that, but racing is a lot about history and friendship, it means a lot to me.”