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A few big-name jockeys may have ridden Golden Monkey in the Group races recently, but connections have now turned to jockey Bruno Queiroz for the steering job in the $300,000 Group 1 Raffles Cup (1600m) on Saturday.
Owned by the Jig Racing/Elvin Stable, the four-time Group winner had top Australian jockeys Hugh Bowman and Mark Zahra, as well as South African-born British rider Chad Schofield in the saddles at his last four starts, two of which translated into wins.
Golden Monkey swept two of the three Legs in the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, including the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m) with Schofield on July 2 and the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) with Bowman on July 23. The son of Star Turn ran second to the now Richard Lim-trained Super Salute in the first Leg of the series, the Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m) on June 11 when ridden by Zahra.
Trainer Tim Fitzsimmons would have loved to keep a winning combination going, but flying these visiting riders in from overseas was not an option should they have commitments elsewhere. For instance, Bowman is committed to ride the Chris Waller-trained Lindermann in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Raffles Cup day.
"We would love to get Hughie or Chad to ride him again because they've won on him before, but there are huge races in Australia too," said the affable Australian handler.
"Bruno is in the right place at the right time. He's ridden three winners for us.
"He's getting better at understanding instructions in English too, though not necessarily speaking, but I do use Google Translate when I give him riding instructions."
A nephew of Brazilian ace Joao Moreira, the young Portuguese-speaking hoop began plying his trade at Kranji this July and has since chalked up nine wins in Singapore. Of those, three wins were for Fitzsimmons, with the latest coming in a Class 3 race (1400m) atop Dream Alliance on August 27.
He rode Golden Monkey for the first time in a barrier trial last Thursday and kept the five-year-old chestnut gelding under a tight hold to the line to run sixth to Raffles Cup contender, Lim's Kosciuszko.
The two-time Brazilian champion jockey was all pumped for his first race ride on the talented galloper after a nice trial.
"I was very happy when Tim told me I would ride Golden Monkey," he said.
"I rode him for the first time in the trial and he did well. I got to know him a little more from there.
"I'm very confident I'll get along very well with him. He's a spectacular horse.
"I'm very excited but also staying focused for this race. Lim's Kosciuszko is a very good horse and it's difficult to beat him, but I know Golden Monkey is doing very well now.
"I think we can run a good race and we can win."
Fitzsimmons was also happy with that final hit-out ahead of his mission in the first Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series, but also emphasised that patience was the key to winning for the Singapore Derby winner.
"Golden Monkey had a really good and quiet trial with Bruno and he galloped very well with (track rider) Kali (Kalimuthu Ganesen) this morning," said Fitzsimmons, who has yet to win the Raffles Cup.
"It had aways been the plan to run him in these (feature) races since we knew he could run the 1600m when he won the Stewards' Cup.
"Compared to some other runners who's back from a break, we've kept him racing this year and he's maintained his good form. We could have backed him off, but he showed no signs of training off.
"I think he's much better ridden quietly. Both Hughie and Chad executed their rides to perfection.
"Good that he's drawn in four. I would hate for him to draw barriers one or two because he could be stuck inside.
"Bruno needs to get him to relax, save him up and produce him at the right time. He has a good 300m burst.
"What matters most is the ride. He has to be ridden really patiently."
The highest-rated galloper in Fitzsimmons' yard has been pitted against the best at top level in Singapore, including Lim's Kosciuszko who he has lost to three times, albeit far from disgraced in those runs.
Golden Monkey first ran third to the Daniel Meagher-trained galloper in the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m) last August, before being beaten three parts of a length into second in a Class 1 race over the same trip last November.
The pair last met in the Lion City Cup three weeks ago when Golden Monkey again ran second to the reigning Horse of the Year.
It may seem like an uphill task but Fitzsimmons yearned to see the day when the tables are turned, especially when it was his runners, Relentless and Gold Star, who wore Lim's Kosciuszko down at his previous two defeats on home soil in the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m) last year and a Class 1 race (1400m) respectively.
"I think it's difficult to beat 'Kosi' (Lim's Kosciuszko) at the mile. He's pretty invincible at the moment and it looked like the only reason he could lose would be bad luck," said Fitzsimmons, who also saddles Cyclone in the same race.
"But in saying that, it's still a horse race and anything can happen. Golden Monkey ran second to him twice and third to him once.
"Two of my horses, Relentless and Gold Star, were the only ones to have beaten him here before. I hope Golden Monkey can do it someday too.
"After that, he's definitely going for the (Group 1) QEII Cup (Queen Elizabeth II Cup) and there's a small chance he heads for the (Group 1 Singapore) Gold Cup (2000m). But, I think the trip is still a bridge too far for him.
"Cyclone (x Pierro) has come on nicely from his last run and I was really happy with his trial last week (ran second to Lim's Kosciuszko on September 14).
"(Jockey) (Vlad) Duric will ride him and we've worked out that he's best ridden dead and cold. He doesn't have the same turn of foot if ridden closer.
"However, he will be better over the 1800m and in the Gold Cup. Those races are his main targets."
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) and the Singapore Gold Cup are the second and third Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series. They will be run on October 14 and November 11 respectively.
