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Comeback Ibrahim scores first win on Greatham Boy

3 minute read

Apprentice jockey Ibrahim Mamat found the winning line for the first time this year atop Greatham Boy in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race (1100m) on Saturday.

Greatham Boy hands apprentice jockey Ibrahim Mamat his first win of the season.
Greatham Boy hands apprentice jockey Ibrahim Mamat his first win of the season. Picture: Singapore Turf Club

Ibrahim, who had nine winners to his name since he made his debut last year, had to be sidelined for about three months after his mount, Magdalene clipped heels and the pair fell in a race on February 18.

The Kelantan-born rider suffered a compressed fracture to his sternum, two vertebrae and discs. Under the recommendation of his master trainer Michael Clements, Ibrahim underwent a daily one-hour session of hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy for 30 days in Johor Bahru and he was soon cleared to ride trackwork in the second week of May.

Ibrahim returned to riding in the races on May 27, but nothing can compare to the joy of winning his first race at his 18th ride this year.

"I'm very happy," said Ibrahim, who was also the last jockey to get on the board at Kranji for the 2023 season.

"I have to thank my boss and the owners (Greatham Boy Stable) who supported me with the ride.

"I went for the treatment (oxygen therapy) every day for one month. Even if I'm still not 100% because I just came back to ride, I feel good now."

A two-year-old son of Stratosphere, Greatham Boy carried 68kgs in a barrier trial on June 8 with jockey Daniel Moor up. He finished in second behind Clements' other runner, Leg Day, who bolted in to a six-length win, albeit carrying 62kgs under eventual race partner Manoel Nunes.

Owned by the Gandharvi Stable, Leg Day started out as the $10 favourite on debut but he did not jump clean from barrier six, so Nunes had to bustle him up to eventually take the lead from Condor (A'Isisuhairi Kasim) at the 750m. Greatham Boy, who sprang the gates from the widest barrier 12, showed plenty of toes to sit outside the leading pair.

Upon straightening, Greatham Boy ($69) turned the tables on his stablemate in the flash of an eye as he worked home nicely under Ibrahim's urgings. Super Baby (Shafrizal Saleh) closed in another one-and-a-quarter lengths away in second, while Fire (Ronnie Stewart) ran another neck away in third.

Leg Day could not muster an acceleration like he did in the barrier trial and faded to second last. The winning time was 1min 5.22secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.

Despite the results, Clements did point out before the race that the difference in weights could be a telling factor. Leg Day carried 57kgs as a three-year-old, while Ibrahim rode half a kilo over on Greatham Boy at 50kgs.

"He (Greatham Boy) had a lot of speed and sat outside the leaders," said the 2020 Singapore champion trainer, who now sits in second on the current premiership on 23 wins, three behind Jason Lim who pulled off a four-timer on Saturday.

"He was strong in the straight, so clearly the weight advantage (50kgs) helped him. He's also a half-brother to Celavi (out of In Harmony), so he's also very speedy, which he showed in his work.

"He got tired at the end but it's pretty good effort at his first run because he was kept wide and covered a bit of extra ground.

"Leg Day did it easy in the trial, but he probably didn't handle the race pressure today. I thought he'd be quicker when it came to jumping out of the gates.

"Greatham Boy will go for the (Group 3) (Singapore) Golden Horseshoe, but we'll see how the programme is like and decide if he goes for another run before that."

Opened to juveniles in Singapore, the reinstated Singapore Golden Horseshoe (1200m) will be run on July 23, together with the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m), the third Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge on the same day.

Ibrahim did ride the 2021 Group 3 Merlion Trophy (1200m) winner Celavi to one unplaced run in January this year before she retired, but he could tell Greatham Boy was also a forward sort from his work.

"He also had a lot of speed when I worked on him," said the young rider.

"It was a good run. I wanted to cut across and get cover but there's no room, so we stayed three wide. I was not worried, just let him run where he's happy.

"He was always travelling nicely. At the 400m, I 'woke him up' and he gave me a very good response. The light weight helped too."

Bought by Clements at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale in Tasmania last year for A$125,000, Greatham Boy has now earned more than $40,000 for his connections.


Singapore Turf Club

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