Jockey Greg Cheyne had already conceded defeat as he directed Tai Commands to the second-placed box after Race 7 on Sunday, but to his pleasant surprise, he was asked to move up to the winner's box instead.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Aboard $111 outsider Tai Commands for trainer Stephen Gray, the South African rider looked home and hosed on the rails at the 200m after electing for front-running tactics in the $55,000 Class 4 race over 1600m.
But the Commands four-year-old, who was wearing blinkers back again after being fitted with pacifiers at his last seven runs, started to shorten strides all of a sudden, which allowed favourite Solitaire (John Powell) and Darien Gap (Zuriman Zulkifli) to swoop down on the outside.
With the naked eye, Darien Gap was a clear third as he got there a fraction late to finish a neck away behind the other pair, but the verdict between Tai Commands and Solitaire was not as obvious.
Cheyne for one thought he had been nutted out, but the photo finish eventually proved him wrong, which he was very glad to be.
“I had no idea I had won. We were so far apart that it was hard to tell, but I thought the momentum was with the horse on the outside,” said Cheyne.
“I went to the second horse stall, but they were asking me to go to the winner's stall! I was surprised, but hey, I'll take it anytime.”
That latest success allows the affable rider, who is only at his first stint in Singapore, to reach winner No 22.
“I think the blinkers switched him on and he was really quick out of the gates today,” said Cheyne.
“He was like 'just let me go'. So I let him roll forward and we found ourselves leading.
“Look, as limited as he may be, he's honest and he's reached the mark where he will always run honest races.
“All he needs is things to go his way. Today he was able to dictate and things worked out beautifully.
“The outside track has been picking up a bit today, but I took the shortest route home and it paid off.”
Gray was not on hand to lead in his 23rd winner as he had gone to New Zealand to pick up his children who were there on holidays.
Tai Commands, who used to be prepared by Brian Dean and came under the care of Tan Hor Khoon for a brief stint, has now racked up two wins from 13 starts for prizemoney in excess of $85,000 for the Tai-Pan Racing Stable.
