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Much attention on Saturday was on the apprentice jockeys’ title fight, more specifically if either Jamil Sarwi or Rozlan Nazam could boot home four winners to topple leader Jerlyn Seow, who was sidelined through suspension but sat on top of the log with 14 wins.
Neither one of them beat their fellow apprentice rider nor managed a big haul at the 12-race meeting, but Jamil did claim the $20,000 Open Maiden Division 2 race (1400m) on the Donna Logan-trained China Pearl ($14) which took his season tally to 12 wins, one more than Rozlan who eventually finished third on the juniors' rank.
Four-time Singapore champion jockey Vlad Duric was the one who stole the limelight on the day with a four-timer atop Seamlessly ($13), Lightning Strike ($18), Aniki ($20) and Silo ($10) respectively (see previous report). With a season tally of 39 wins this year, Duric sits fourth on the senior jockeys' log, albeit still some way off the newly crowned and five-time Singapore champion jockey Manoel Nunes, who bagged one win aboard Easy Breezy ($16) in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race (1800m) to wrap up the season on 95 wins.
Trainer Jason Ong, who fired blanks on Saturday, already had the champion trainer's title firmly under his belt after he took home 66 wins on 17 December. His closest rival, Tim Fitzsimmons, who sat on 55 wins before the meeting and had only 10 runners on Saturday, won with Lightning Strike in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race (1800m) and finished second on 56 wins for the year.
The last race of 2023 had been run but before Kranji raises the curtain for the 2024 season next week, here's a quick recap of the past season.
JANUARY
7 January – Jockey A'Isisuhairi Kasim (also known as Harry), who cut his riding stint in Dubai short to be with his pregnant wife and family in Singapore, boots home a treble (Super Generous, Rumble and Sabah Ace) at the season opener.
14 January – Apprentice jockey Rozlan takes out his first career win aboard Great Command for his new master trainer, Ricardo Le Grange. Jockey Nunes bags a five-timer with favourites Cash Cove, Wild Bee, Petrograd, Street Of Dreams and General Command.
23 January – Trainer Desmond Koh rings up a double with Exceed Natural and Flying Nemo on the second day of Chinese New Year, with the latter also bringing up his 600th career win. Similarly, trainer Kuah Cheng Tee bags his 100th win after Last Samurai scored.
FEBRUARY
4 February – The Daniel Meagher-trained Lim's Kosciuszko bounces back from his defeat in Hong Kong to claim the first feature race of the year, the Group 3 Merlion Trophy (1200m) under a gun ride from jockey Wong Chin Chuen. Comeback apprentice jockey Azhar Rasid opens his account at Kranji atop the Fitzsimmons-trained Ben Wade. Trainer James Peters is the last of 23 trainers at Kranji to get on the scoresheet this season after Star Legend knocked in his first win.
12 February – Jockey Nunes boots home a four-timer, in which he hit his 600th Kranji win with the Jason Lim-trained Super Salute at his third win after he scored with General Command and Griffin, before wrapping up the day with Jewel Sixty-One.
MARCH
4 March – Jockey Shafrizal Saleh opens his account atop the Fitzsimmons-trained Jewel Sixty-One.
18 March – Trainer Stephen Gray bags his best haul at Kranji with a five-timer after Tributo, Prioritize, Retallica, Infinite Wisdom and Silent Is Gold saluted, incidentally also recording his 800-win milestone with Infinite Wisdom. Jockey Matthew Kellady claims his first win of the year atop the Shane Baertschiger-trained Free Fallin'.
21 March – Lim's Kosciuszko is crowned the Horse Of The Year at the Singapore Racing Awards 2022 award ceremony. Fitzsimmons wins the Champion Trainer title, while the Champion Jockey, Champion Resident Jockey and Champion Apprentice Jockey awards goes to Nunes, Wong and Yusoff Fadzli respectively. Lim's Stable bags the Champion Owner (by Prizemoney) award and they also share the honours with Buffalo Stable in the Champion Owner (by Wins) category.
25 March – Lim's Kosciuszko wins comfortably in the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1600m), handing jockey Wong his first win in the feature race.
APRIL
8 April – January gives trainer Logan her first win in the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Sprint (1200m) after he took out the first leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge with jockey Simon Kok Wei Hoong. South African Calvin Habib scores his maiden win atop Wind Trail at his 37th ride in Singapore. Trainer Peters pulls off a brace with Star Glory and Cool Sixty-One, the latter was his 200th Singapore winner in seven years of training.
16 April – Trainer Shane Baertschiger welcomes his 500th Singapore win with Shanghai Star, just three races after old stalwart Flak Jacket scored in the opener to give the Australian a double on the day.
23 April – Trainer Lim wins his first Group race in four years of training after Super Salute scored in the Group 2 EW Barker Trophy (1400m) under jockey Nunes, who bags another silverware at Kranji after six years. Comeback Brazilian jockey Bernardo Pinheiro opens his Kranji account this season aboard Cosmic Dancer, albeit in a dead-heat with Teardrops, before he pulls off a double with Fame Star seven races later. Underrated jockey Mohd Zaki scores a rare three-timer with Chivalric Knight, Free Fallin' and Rich Fortune.
29 April – Similar to last year, apprentice jockey Fahmi Rosman breaks the duck this season again with the Gray-trained Silent Is Gold. Due to inclement weather, the last three races of the 12-race meeting were postponed, including the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m).
MAY
6 May – Jockey Daniel Moor takes out his first win aboard the Gray-trained February at his short-term stint in Singapore and snares a double after the Michael Clements-trained Coin Toss landed the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m).
9 May – The Singapore Turf Club announces the third and final Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 2 Singapore Guineas (1600m), which was scheduled to be run on 20 May, will be postponed a week later to 27 May. This follows the one-week delay of the second Leg, the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m), which was postponed by a week and ran on 6 May due to inclement weather on 29 April.
14 May – Singaporean trainer Young Keah Yong sends his only one and last runner, My Boss, at his seventh season of training. With his 1,498th runner finishing in fourth, he bows out of Kranji a winner of 98 races.
20 May – Lim's Kosciuszko claims the Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m) under regular partner Wong and sets a new Course record over the mile on the Long Course. Trainer Ong reaches his 100th win milestone with Super Convince. Visiting Australian jockey Mark Zahra scores atop the Logan-trained God's Gift in the opener.
27 May – Coin Toss takes out the Group 2 Singapore Guineas (1600m) after winning the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) three weeks ago, claiming two out of three Legs in the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge. He also gave trainer Clements his 800th win in Singapore. Visiting jockey Craig Gylls boots home a winner aboard the Logan-trained Te Akau Ben at his first ride of the day.
JUNE
3 June – Cancer survivor Mr Malek claims the Group 3 Kranji Sprint (1200m), the first Leg of the newly named STC Super Sprint series for trainer Steven Burridge and jockey Harry. Jockey Pinheiro takes home a haul of five winners for the first time in Singapore with Silo, Rich Fortune, Real Efecto, Two Million and Cosmic Dancer. Apprentice jockey Faiz Khair wins his first race of the year aboard the Koh-trained Sun Palace.
5 June – Following the announcement by the government to take back the 120 hectares of land on which the Singapore racecourse sits in 2027 for redevelopment, the Singapore Turf Club will hold its final meeting on 5 October 2024, when the 100th Grand Singapore Gold Cup will also be held.
11 June – Super Salute claims the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m).
17 June – Trainer Lim bags his first quartet of wins in a meeting with Royal Commander, Paletas, Captain Singapore and Thunder Star. Apprentice jockey Ibrahim Mamat scores his first season win aboard the Clements-trained Greatham Boy.
JULY
2 July – Visiting jockey Chad Schofield scores his first win in Singapore aboard the Fitzsimmons-trained Golden Monkey in the second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m). Jockey Harry boots home his 300th winner in Singapore aboard the David Kok-trained Real Efecto.
7 July – The Singapore Turf Club grants two new licences for Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz and Singapore apprentice jockey Clyde Leck, and five licence renewals for two local jockeys Shafrizal and Amirul Ismadi and three apprentice jockeys Fahmi Rosman, Akmazani Mazuki and Azhar Rasid till 31 December 2023. Hong Kong jockey Dylan Mo is also issued a six-week visiting jockey's licence from 17 July to 28 August while Australian jockey Daniel Moor's licence is extended to 27 July.
8 July – Mr Malek gets up by a neck under jockey Harry in an exciting finish in the Korea Racing Authority Trophy, a Class 1 race over 1200m.
15 July – Trainer Kok reaches his 300th win milestone in Singapore with City Gold Telecom.
23 July – Ridden by visiting jockey Hugh Bowman, Golden Monkey hands trainer Fitzsimmons his first Group 1 win after he won the third Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m). Trainer Clements also wins his first Group 3 Singapore Golden Horseshoe (1200m) trophy after jockey Daniel Moor and Greatham Boy saluted in the juveniles' feature race. Jockey Pinheiro pulls off a double with Bestseller and Sacred Judgement, with the latter bringing up his 600th career win.
30 July – Brazilian jockey Queiroz gets off the mark in Singapore atop the Koh-trained Exceed Natural and goes on to score a double aboard Hurricane for trainer Fitzsimmons.
AUGUST
6 August – The Gray-trained Kharisma surprises at big odds to claim the second Leg of the STC Super Sprint series, the Group 3 Rocket Man Sprint (1200m) under jockey Shafrizal. Apprentice jockey Leck opens his account in Singapore atop the Logan-trained May at his second ride.
27 August – Lim's Kosciuszko makes it back-to-back wins in the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m). Jockey Queiroz snags his first treble in Singapore after scoring atop Roda Robot, Dream Alliance and Top Field.
SEPTEMBER
23 September – Lim's Kosciuszko successfully defends his Raffles Cup title under jockey Wong, six months after his first win in March.
30 September – Trainer Clements bows out of Singapore racing a winner of 816 races in 25 years of training in the Lion City. Before that, he trained 260 winners in his first five years of becoming a trainer in his homeland of Zimbabwe in 1993.
OCTOBER
14 October – Jockey Pinheiro claims his first Group 1 victory in Singapore in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) on board the Le Grange-trained Hongkong Great, beating the outstanding Lim's Kosciuszko by a neck. He also won earlier atop Kungfu Hero at his farewell meeting at Kranji after a six-month stint this year.
21 October – Trainer Ong hits his first five-timer at Kranji with Dragon Master, War Star, Healthy Baby, Top Field and Akhtar. The last three winners were ridden by jockey Queiroz, who booted home four winners in a day for the first time in Singapore. His one other winner was the Tan Kah Soon-trained Lonhro Gold.
28 October – Ridden by jockey Wong, Pacific Emperor hands trainer Kok his first win in the Group 3 Merlion Trophy (1200m). French Jockey Louis-Philippe Beuzelin ends his five-year-long Singapore stint with a win on Bransom.
NOVEMBER
11 November – Lim's Kosciuszko atones in the third Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series, the Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) after he narrowly defeated Dream Alliance. Trainer Hideyuki Takaoka saddles his last three runners as he retires after 21 years of training in Singapore. A winner of 337 races in Hokkaido before coming to Singapore in 2002, the Japanese conditioner has bagged 533 wins in Singapore. His last wins came in the form of a double with Jungle Cruise and Screen Shot on 16 September. Visiting jockey Jake Bayliss scores atop the Tan-trained Pacific Victory at his first ride of the day.
18 November – After seven years of riding in Singapore, China-bound jockey Shafrizal bids Kranji farewell with seven rides. His last winner came one week ago atop Silent Is Gold.
25 November – Brazilian jockey Vitor Espindola boots home his first Kranji winner, Roda Robot for trainer Ong.
DECEMBER
2 December – Jockey Ronnie Stewart leaves Singapore on a winning note atop the Le Grange-trained Bestseller in the Group 3 Colonial Chief Stakes (1700m).
6 December – Among 32 licences issued by the Singapore Turf Club to jockeys and apprentice jockeys in the season of 2024, 30 are renewals and two belongs to new apprentice jockeys Sazali Ramli and Chong Shin Wah.
10 December – Ridden by Damian Lane, Lim's Kosciuszko runs ninth to Golden Sixty in the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin racecourse.
17 December – Trainer Richard Lim brings up his first five-timer with Smart Gambit, Crown Dancing, Takhi, Super Salute and Groovy. Trainer Baertschiger wraps up 30 years of training in Singapore, including 18 with his father and ex-trainer Don and 12 on his own, with two runners at his last meeting. All-up, the Australian handler has clocked in 517 wins and his last winner was Outfit on 9 December. Apprentice jockey Faiz boots home his first double aboard Smart Gambit and Last Samurai.
30 December – Following the conclusion of the finale meeting, trainer Ong bags his first Singapore champion trainer title on 66 wins while jockey Nunes seals his fifth Singapore champion jockey title on 95 wins. The Singapore champion apprentice jockey title goes to Jerlyn Seow on 14 wins while the Singapore champion resident jockey title is won by jockey Wong, who sits third on the jockeys' premiership on 44 wins.
