STC
Favourite Lord Of Light ran his rivals ragged in the S$20,000 Open Maiden race over 1200m on Friday night.
The five-year-old son of Power was previously placed three times over 1200m in seven starts, including a close second to Mr Coppola in a Maiden race at his second-last start three weeks ago.
But how he came into his own at his very first success, an emphatic win that even took his trainer Mark Walker a little off-guard.
Upon despatch, Make U Famous, Kadima, Sun Order (Daniel Moor) and Orient Express burned up the track early, but the lead was ultimately taken up by Make U Famous, despite being caught four wide after jumping from an outside barrier.
After breaking from barrier two, Lord Of Light was kept out of the early tussle, to settle right behind the leaders, but as Be Humble dropped back, Zawari elected to tack onto Orient Express as they approached the home turn.
With Make U Famous and Orient Express rolling off on the turn, Zawari did not need any second invitation to send the odds-on favourite through the rails gap. The rest turned into a procession.
Lord Of Light romped in by five-and-a-quarter lengths from Whakaaria Mai with Cizen Boss third another one-and-a-quarter lengths away. The winning time was 1min 11.87secs for the 1200m on the Polytrack.
Walker said he was confident of a forward run, but maybe not in such a dominant style.
“I didn’t expect him to win by five, but I guess he found the right race,” said the two-time Singapore champion trainer.
“It was a lovely ride. Zawari rode him a bit off that hectic early speed and he got a dream run.
“Putting on the tongue-tie this time was really clutching at straws. I thought I’d try something different.
“He showed a bit (of ability) early, but he did a tendon, so he’s taken a while to come back, so perhaps he’s just fit enough now after a long layoff.
“The owners are lovely people, and hopefully he can go on with it.”
Zawari was at his second win of the season after he opened his account on Sunday with Spokesman, another ward trained by his former master, Walker.
“I’m very happy with my second winner this year,” said the Malaysian jockey, who, however, begins a three-day suspension on Saturday following a careless riding charge on Atlantic Fox.
“We just tried to follow the second and third horse in front, and when I pressed the button in the straight, he knew what to do next.”
With a record standing at one win and three placings, Lord Of Light has brought home more than S$30,000 in prizemoney for the Light Stable. -STC