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Nearly five months after his spectacular race fall at Kranji, Malaysian apprentice jockey Iskandar Rosman was back riding in his first barrier trial on Tuesday morning, and looking forward to getting back in the thick of the action as soon as possible.
Lee Freedman's apprentice jockey, better known as Syafiq, was sidelined for a fractured left ankle after his mount I Am Invisible crashed through the running rails around the 1000m mark in a Class 4 race over 1200m on August 18.
With doctors' prognosis being at least three months of rest, Iskandar has been shuttling between Kranji and his Kuala Lumpur home during his time out of the saddle, busy going through physiotherapy at both bases.
Cleared to start riding trackwork last week, the 25-year-old has not been loafing around since, with Freedman not hesitating to put him on Excelling at Tuesday's barrier trials.
While Iskandar was jokingly greeted to a Group 1 welcome by his master after Excelling romped in by 3 ½ lengths, there was some serious intent from both parties about his comeback, especially the hunger from Iskandar.
"I got screws and plates in my left ankle. I still walk with a slight limp, but I feel no pain at all when I ride," said Iskandar, a winner of 13 races since his riding debut in 2017.
"My doctors said I could start riding again last week. I'm working on my body strength but I feel fit enough, just a bit fresh like today's trial winner!
"I'm not sure when the boss will put me on in races, but I hope it won't be too long. This year, I'm aiming high, the champion apprentice jockey title!
"(Defending champion) Simon Kok (Wei Hoong) will be hard to beat again this year, but he claims two whereas I claim three. That can make a difference."
Going on the way Freedman has been taken by his protégé's work rate since walking back through his stable gates, support won't be in short supply from the Australian.
"I thought he'd need more time since he just came back from injury, but he surprised me," said Freedman.
"I thought he would ride two or three for a start, but he told me his fitness was good, and he's ridden like seven to eight horses every day.
"He had his first trial today, and he won! Now, he just needs to win the real races, which I'm sure won't take long.
"It's good to have him back after so long. Hopefully, things go right for him in 2020 as he spent a long time on the sidelines last year, both through injury and suspension."
On Excelling's sparkling barrier trial, Freedman was not reading too much into the ease of the win.
"He's a frontrunner. A trial is a trial," he said.
"But he's done well since he's been here (two wins and two placings from five starts) and I'm looking at running him in the Class 3 over 1100m next Saturday week (January 18)."
As much as his morning was brightened up by the Manhattan Rain five-year-old and his apprentice jockey being in fine fettle, the same could not be said of his earlier trialler, four-time winner Jomo.
At the rear from the start, the strapping galloper by All Too Hard was eased down to a canter by champion jockey Vlad Duric, who expressed concerns over his action, post-trial.
"Jomo had a wind op after his last run (September 22). He wasn't right this morning, we'll need to look into him," said Freedman.