Don’t ask top French jockey Gerald Mosse about the tongue-twisting names of his two Sunday winners, but you can remind him that the double has now propelled him to third place on the Singapore log.
Mosse scored aboard two mares with Maori-inspired monikers, Miss Waimataitai ($44) for Mark Walker in Race 1 and Mangatoetoenui ($79) for the other Kiwi handler, Laurie Laxon later in Race 8. He now sits on four wins, two behind fellow Frenchman Olivier Placais, tied with Glen Boss, Alan Munro and Michael Rodd, all on four wins but ahead on a better countback for seconds.
The former Aga Khan jockey, who turned 50 on January 3, made a decent start to the season with two previous winners – Supersonicsurprise and En Civil, sitting in eighth spot on the Singapore jockey’s premiership, but Sunday’s double certainly signalled him as a major force to reckon with in Singapore this year.
“It’s a nice double and I couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the season,” said Mosse, who began his Kranji stint with one winner thanks to a pick-up ride aboard Deimos last December.
“She is lazy. I saw the video of the her last run and there was no way I would have put her 10 lengths behind.
“She was drawn wide, but I was able to get cover and not too far back. I kept her clear of trouble on the outside and started to improve midrace.
“I was behind Olivier’s (Placais) horse (Nova Spirit) and he gave me a nice cart into the race.
“In the straight, I brought my mare to the outside and she quickened very well. She won going away once she hit the front.
“I think she still has some room for improvement, and probably over longer.”
The five-year-old daughter of Battle Paint flashed home late for fourth to Preditor over 1400m at her last run, but punters were still put off by her outermost alley on Sunday.
Laxon was not as worried, more so when he knew she would be in a pair of safe hands that had guided more than 2,200 winners home, including more than 50 Group 1 winners all around the world, but mainly France and Hong Kong.
“They went quick in front and that set her up nicely. Gerald is a classy rider and I left it to him,” said the nine-time Singapore champion trainer.
“I will take her through the grades, but this is about her class. I don’t think she will go any further than that.”
Mosse’s first winner Miss Waimataitai was also drawn off the track in the $35,000 Class 5 Division 1 race over 1200m, but the cool Frenchman again let his silky hands do the talking.
Bustled up early, the Savabeel four-year-old showed good toe to go and take up the running, which was half the battle won.
From that point onwards, Mosse throttled down the gas, allowing the rest to pack up closer before he threw out the anchors at the home turn.
A last-start winner but by a much shorter margin (head), Miss Waimataitai this time just bounded away towards an emphatic 3 ½-length win from Best Jade (Zawari Razali) for a stable queue-up for Walker with So Perfect (Shafrizal Saleh) third another neck away. The winning time was 1min 13.07 for the 1200m on Polytrack.
