Blink and you miss it, but to jockey Koh Teck Huat, Knight Spirit’s win on Sunday was a personal record of sorts that has now stretched to its third year in a row.
The rising 11-year-old gelding has given the Singaporean rider his first seasonal win in the last two years, which in itself, is quite extraordinary, but to do it for a third year on the trot and invariably, always around the Chinese New Year period, was a trifecta many fengshui masters would definitely call a rare and most auspicious omen.
Koh certainly felt so and nobody could begrudge him that!
A son of Statue Of Liberty, Knight Spirit began that ice-breaking ‘deja-vu’ habit with Koh on January 18, 2015, a season which subsequently paved the way to a decent haul of 10 winners for the underrated jockey.
One year later, the pair reunited for another similar feat, this time on February 21. Not really the superstitious kind, Koh still read the writing on the wall, but unfortunately, it was not the spark to the good year ahead he had hoped for as only three more winners trickled his way afterwards.
The Yishun lad did not despair. After his usual quiet start to the 2017 season, Koh had a hunch his good old friend could bail him out again in Sunday’s $35,000 Class 5 race over 2000m, especially as most of the runners in the small eight-horse field did not look unbeatable.
At the 200m, victory was heading either favourite Chairman Wind’s (Gerald Mosse) or Over Easy’s (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) way, but Koh, who had in the meantime allowed the $36 shot to sneak up on the outside, was getting all geed-up as the thought suddenly flashed in his head Groundhog Day has come calling again!
“I was like ‘no way, we’re gonna do it again!’ and he just kept going,” exclaimed a jubilant Koh upon dismounting.
“This horse is so special to me; I call him ‘Uncle’! It’s the third year in a row he’s given me my first winner.
“He’s 10 and when he retires, I hope I can find a home for him where they can look after him, and I can visit him, too.
“He’s the easiest horse to ride. Very calm and does whatever you ask him to do, he’ll be a great riding school horse.
“But looking at the way he ran today, he’s telling us he’s not ready to retire yet!”
After starting his racing career with Brian Dean for whom he won four races, Knight Spirit spent one season in Malaysia where he managed to score once for his new connections.
But trainer Desmond Koh bought him as part of a dispersal sale package deal after Malaysian trainer Wee Mung Hua called it quits and brought him back across the Causeway again, but southbound this time.
Knight Spirit was viewed with scepticism by most as a winning proposition for Koh given his advanced age (seven) and the general perception such “third-hand” or even “fourth-hand” buys have seen better days. He has now won six more, including four for Koh the rider.
As if the day could not get any better for him, he went on to ride a rare double aboard One O Nine, whom he actually thought was a better chance than Knight Spirit.
But in the running in the $35,000 Class 5 race over 1100m, Koh thought it was slashed to almost zero when the Magic Albert four-year-old spotted the leading bunch around four lengths upon straightening.
It would seem the rub of the green from Knight Spirit had not parted ways with him as One O Nine ($55) responded to Koh’s pushing with a brilliant burst of speed to finish over the top of the battling pair of Leadership (Sam Subian) and Satchmo (Shafrizal Saleh).
By coincidence, One O Nine’s previous only victory came at that very last one posted by Koh last year on August 21.
“I was more confident on One O Nine to be honest. He had no luck at his last start,” said Koh.
“The pace didn’t suit him, but this time, he just flew home. A big thank you to HK Tan (Hor Khoon) and the owners (Happy Happy Stable) for putting me on this horse.”
Tan was incidentally welcoming his first 2017 winner with One O Nine.
“We were expecting him to run well, but he looked like he had too much to do at the top of the straight,” said the Singaporean handler.
“But the front horses stopped and he just got them. Great ride by TH Koh who I’m sure will be super motivated after this double.”
