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Nuqman Rozi marked his promotion to the senior rank by winning his first two rides at Sungai Besi this afternoon.
Nuqman won the jockey's premiership while still an apprentice in 2023 with 56 winners and led the table comfortably in the first half of last year until a suspension put paid to his title defence. Still, he ended up ninth in the table with 26 winners.
Nuqman showed that he is truly back and meant businness with superb display of horsemanship to take the first two races on Cash King and Selangor Star.
Cash King (RM77) created an upset in the first race of the new season when he came from a long way back in the early running to beat the odds-on favourite Surfing Cloud in the Class 5B – 1300m handicap.
The New Zealand gelding by The King won once in 14 runs in Singapore and was unplaced in his first three runs in the country. It was not surprising that punters neglected him in the betting.
Selangor Star (RM24) was ten lengths off the pacemaker and favourite Valerie Pegasus at the halfway mark before storming home in the final 200m to win the Class 5A – 1300m handicap. Born To Win came home well to beat Valerie Pegasus for second placing.
"Today is my first day as a professional jockey and I am happy it started off well," said Nuqman.
"I started whipping Cash King from as far out as the 600m because he wasn't interested in the race at all.
"I took him wide in the straight to look for better ground and he responded well and finished strongly to win."
"Selangor Star was recently demoted to Class 5. He had a joint problem before and the track conditions helped him today. I also brought him out wide for better ground and he also finished very well."
Selangor Star has five previous wins but his last success was achieved in June 2023.
Last season's champion jockey Ruzaini Supien was also off the mark for the new season when he partnered Maze to win the Class 4A – 1150m sprint on the No. 2 track.
Newly-minted champion trainer Simon Dunderdale, who saddled 73 winners last year, dished out a big-priced double with Fort Mustang (RM84) and Ong Mari (RM126).
