English jockey Alan Munro was a man in a hurry on Sunday when he won the first two races on the 11-race programme.
He first saluted aboard Galaxy Express ($19) for his main supporter Hideyuki Takaoka in the $35,000 Class 5 Division 1 race over 1600m before doubling the dose straight afterwards with Lim's Greeting ($18) for trainer Leticia Dragon in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1400m.
The Epsom Derby-winning rider went through a bit of a slump last month with only one winner, Brilliant Deal, to show for, until Black Fury helped him find his way to the winning post again on Friday. With Sunday’s brace, he now sits on 55 winners, two better than last year’s but still some way off his all-time Singapore best record of 79 in 2013 when he finished third to Joao Moreira.
Munro, who is the sort who would rather chase that next winner than keep track of such records, was delighted with his race-to-race double.
“It’s good, isn’t it? We changed tactics with Taky’s winner and it worked, and this one is a nice horse for Leticia,” said Munro after unsaddling from Lim’s Greeting, a three-year-old grey by Guillotine.
“It was a fairly muddling-run race (Lim’s Greeting’s) but I was happy where we were. In the home straight, I committed to the outside but I gave it away when the gaps closed.
“I switched back to the inside and he quickened good when the gap came up. He’s still green and young, but he’s a nice type and he’ll become a lovely stayer.”
Dragon, who had been rather bullish of a forward run second-up following the Lim’s Stable-owned galloper’s debut fourth to Helen in a 1000m race more than a month ago, agreed with Munro’s post-race assessment.
“I think he’ll be a nice horse next year, over longer distances. He ran well on debut and he’s reproduced that run second-up,” said Dragon.
“He’s still got a bit to learn, but Alan rode a gem of a race on him today.
“It’s great for the owners. As you know, the Lim’s Stable were champion owners and they’ve recently made a comeback and this is already their second winner after Lim’s Rally last week.
“Mick Dittman is their bloodstock adviser and I’m lucky to be the trainer they send their horses to, and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank them for their support.”
The Lim’s Stable was a leading force at Kranji in the late 2000s, racing a host of Group winners such as Top Spin, Lim’s Objective, Lim’s Fighter, Lim’s Classic and Lim’s Prestige and was crowned champion owner in 2007 and 2008. They currently have 10 horses with Dragon, with four still unraced.
