3 minute read
Noh Senari made a successful return to the saddle on Friday night, scoring aboard the aptly-named Luck Of Master for his new supporter Desmond Koh.
The talented jockey was one of the early leading premiership contenders last year, only to lose steam towards the later part of the season to drop to sixth place on 34 winners.
But this year, the Singaporean hoop had seldom been spotted at the training tracks, let alone on a racecard, having only got onto his first ride at the Chinese New Year meeting on Sunday, Letitgo, who finished out of the placings.
It turned out that Noh had a skiing accident in Switzerland last December. It was nothing major, but the heavyweight jockey didn't want to rush back into riding, just so he could fully get over the bruise.
Quantity was again not his ally on Friday night, with only three bookings – reduced to two after he could not make the weight on Speedy Rose - coming his way, but Noh had his sights on the pick of his rides, Luck Of Master in the $50,000 Class 4 race over 1800m as his best chance to rekindle his winning touch.
At the 800m, seeing the pair marooned at the far end off a muddling-run race, most, including Koh, thought Noh might have to live to fight another day for that inaugural 2020 winner.
But hopes were back in the camp when Luck Of Master somehow started to weave his way around the bunched-up field coming off the backstraight.
Upfront, Implement (Vlad Duric) was trying to make all, manfully staving off Jupiter Dragon (Saifudin Ismail), the first to try and inject some pace halfway into the torpor that had numbed the rest into a slumber. Mr Exchequer (Ruan Maia) was also chiming in, but right on the outside, Luck Of Master was sailing home with a flourish.
Luck Of Master defeated Implement by three-quarter length with Mr Exchequer settling for third place another three-quarter length away. The winning time was 1min 50.15secs for the 1800m on the Long Course.
"Luck Of Master was my best chance. I'm glad he won and it's good to be back," said Noh whose last win was aboard Moongate Star for Koh as well, on December 8.
"It was all teamwork. It's all thanks to Desmond and the team and I thank them for the opportunity to ride this horse.
"It was actually a sit-and-steer job. I just didn't do anything on him even though he was at the rear and the pace was slow.
"I remember CC (Chin Chuen) Wong rode him once and he couldn't catch up. At the same time, he can also get keen and that's why I decided not to touch him.
"When they started to come back to me, that's when I knew he was still a chance and in the straight, once he saw daylight, his turn of foot was too good for them."
Koh admitted to not sharing the same optimism when Noh elected to stay so far back on the $22 shot.
"The pace was too slow. It would be hard for closers," said the Singaporean handler.
"When Noh jumped off and told me the slow pace actually suited him, I couldn't quite get it because I thought it would not suit him, unless he was closer to the pace.
"But then Noh showed some initiative by improving through the pack, or maybe he was just going with the flow, without realising it.
"I won't look too much into it. All I know is he got on his bike at the right time or he would have been caught behind a wall of horses if he had not got off the rails down the back.
"It's nice to get another winner for Michael Lam."
Lam is the Hong Kong owner who enjoyed a lot of success with Koh with the likes of Mr Luck and Famous Artist in a not too distant past.
With that third win from six starts, coupled with his place earnings from one third place, Luck Of Master has now made around $70,000 for Lam's Luck Of Friendship Stable.