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Jockey Vlad Duric showed why he is one of the best jockeys in Singapore after his third win of the day, Pacific Spirit won the $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race (1600m) and gave the popular Australian hoop his 700th winner at Kranji.
Barely a week after five-time Singapore champion jockey Manoel Nunes brought up his 700th winner in Singapore with Lim's Bighorn last Saturday, Duric, too, joined the "elite 700-club", which had three previous Kranji jockeys, Barend Vorster (789 wins), Saimee Jumaat (776) and Joao Moreira (737) also on the roll of honour.
Earlier on the card, another Pacific Stable-owned runner, Pacific General ($15), set the four-time Singapore champion jockey up for a big day in the saddle after he took out the opener, a $30,000 Class 5 race over 1200m, before Sweet N Sour ($17) won the $20,000 Maiden race (1200m) four races later.
While Duric had no ride in the sixth race, he did not have to wait for long before Pacific Spirit won at his very next ride to bring up the magical 700th win and his first treble of the season.
Yet, the big win was not given to Duric on a platter, with the multiple Group 1-winning jockey having to bide his time early from the widest barrier 12 before settling Pacific Spirit ($29) at the rear of the field with only two runners behind him.
Sky Eight (Manoel Nunes) set the pace and in a very spread-out field, Duric had to make an early move at the 650m on the three-year-old son of Rip Van Winkle, with the whip pulled to keep in touch at the final bend.
Upon turning for home, Pacific Spirit looked to have plenty of momentum and although he still spotted Sky Eight a few lengths at the 350m, he made a serious challenge at the furlong post, albeit with Khao Manee (Marc Lerner) for company.
Those cheering for Duric would have gone hoarse when Pacific Spirit hit the front at the 100m and although Khao Manee kept him honest to the wire, the David Kok-trained gelding won comfortably by three-quarters-of-a-length in the end.
Two Million (Ryan Curatolo), who found some trouble late, fought on very well to pip Sky Eight by a nose to finish in third, albeit another one-and-three-quarters-lengths away.
The winning time was 1 min 40.24secs for the 1600m on the Polytrack. Pacific Spirit's first win in 12 starts took his prizemoney to over $23,000 for the Pacific Stable.
But the win was all about the jockey, who rode his first winner way back in 2009 on Master Key for ex-Kranji trainer Len Treloar, after health scares and weight issues almost derailed his career on more than one occasion.
"It's been a battle at times," said Duric, who allowed himself a little fist pump after crossing the line first for the 700th time at Kranji.
"It might just be my age but my lower back has been an issue and I still have trouble with my throat. But, they're manageable now and so is my weight. I have been in good health of late and the 700-win mark was definitely a goal.
"But to be honest, I thought it (700 wins) might come later because from the wide gate, I was only hoping to give him (Pacific Spirit) a good ride. It was a bit of a surprise to win, but a nice one.
"I've been here (Singapore) for a long time, so to get the treble today and reach that milestone was very satisfying."
Duric began riding long-term in Singapore in 2009, with 51 wins at his first season, then 80 and 83 wins in 2010 and 2011 respectively. After a four-year hiatus, Duric was back at Kranji in 2016, when he bagged 66 winners.
Yet, it was at the next four years where Duric wrote himself into the Singapore racing folklore; winning champion jockey titles in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 with 83, 73, 88 and 65 wins respectively.
Those were golden years for Duric, who fondly remembers the support he received in his earlier years at Kranji.
"You can't survive as a jockey without support and (trainer) Stephen Gray gave me amazing support early," reminisced the 2007 Caulfield Cup-winning jockey.
"He (Gray) gave me so many opportunities and one of my biggest thrills was to ride for him on Lim's Cruiser in the (Group 1) Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot (2019).
"Back in the good old days, it was also great to ride for good guys like (ex-Kranji trainers) Pat Shaw, Cliff (Brown), (the late) Laurie (Laxon) and Mike (Michael) Clements, to name just a few. A big thank you to those guys, especially Stephen.
"I can only speak fondly of Singapore. My kids, Lili (23), Sage (21) and Audrey (18) all grew up here and it's been a big part of our life. My wife, Storm, has been my biggest supporter and Singapore is our second home.
"I've made a lot of friends too. I can't mention them all, but guys like Saimee and (trainer) James Peters have made my time here a good one.
"It's (Singapore racing) ending soon, so we have to move on, but this place is special and I'm thankful to have been involved."
