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Excellent Moon’s first win at his 17th start in a Class 5 race on Friday night would normally not get much press, but to trainer Hideyuki Takaoka, it was an extra special moment.
The Australian-bred four-year-old by Excelebration is out of a mare who took Takaoka to great heights at Kranji in a not too distant past, Better Life.
The Smarty Jones mare won three Group 1 races, the 2012 Kranji Mile (1600m), the 2012 Longines Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) and the 2013 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) which remarkably was her swansong, capping a glittering career on a stellar record of eight wins (between 1200m and 2200m) and three placings for stakes earnings just over the $2 million mark for the Suzuka Racing Stable.
While Better Life's career as a mum has been nowhere near as flash, Excellent Moon, who is raced by Suzuka as well, is her only foal in Singapore, and has now produced a new milestone of sorts by becoming her first foal to win a race.
"We all know Excellent Moon is nothing like his mother, but it's a nice feeling to see him win a race tonight," said Takaoka.
"I believe he's the first foal to win for her. I'm sure the owners will be happy with that, too.
"He's actually been improving. At his last run (February 14), I told Krisna (Thangamani) not to go forward, and he ran on for third (to Kubera's Chief in a Polytrack race over 1200m).
"I told (Mohd) Zaki the same thing tonight and he finished very strongly on the outside."
Zaki, who used to be Takaoka's apprentice jockey, does remember Better Life. While the Malaysian jockey rode the chestnut mare in trackwork, and not in races, at least, now he has the bragging rights of having ridden her first winning foal.
"I only got to ride Better Life in trackwork, but she was a machine, she's all class," said Zaki.
"I've ridden this horse (Excellent Moon) only once before (unplaced), but it's not the same standard. My old boss just told me to settle him at the back and let him come on the outside in the last 400m.
"I'd like to dedicate that win to my mother, my sister, my wife, my sister-in-law, and last but not least, Mr Takaoka. I haven't ridden a winner for him for a while and I thank him for still putting me on his horses."
The last winning combination between the Japanese handler and his former apprentice jockey came with Bounceback Ability on November 17, 2018.
Known for being more of a frontrunning type of jockey, Zaki turned in the perfect sit-and-sprint ride on Excellent Moon ($79) in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race over 1100m on Polytrack.
A trio made up of Thoth Warrior (Koh Teck Huat), Lucky Red (Ruan Maia) and Golden Spark (Joseph See) were fighting out the finish at the 300m, but turned out loose by Zaki upon cornering, Excellent Moon finished over the top of them to defeat Lucky Red by half-a-length with Golden Spark third another head away. The winning time was 1min 7secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.
Excellent Moon's record now just looks a touch more respectable with that first hurrah – 16-1-0-1 for stakes earnings leaping fourfold to more than $20,000 for the Suzuka Racing Stable.