Resuming jockey Vlad Duric could not have hoped for a more brilliant riding comeback after he scored a quartet of wins from the first five events on Friday night.
The Australian booted home two winners (both favourites) in quick succession in the first two races – Southern Glory for Bruce Marsh and Makkem Lad for Donna Logan before bringing up the treble in Race 4 with another Logan runner, The Big Easy, and finally with Thomas De Lago for Desmond Koh making it four in Race 5.
The Singapore champion jockey was returning from a five-day careless riding ban for his shared responsibility with fellow Victorian Daniel Moor in the race fall that led to New Zealand jockey Alysha Collett’s injury.
While such suspensions where a fellow jockey is hurt are always harder to cope with, the ensuing loss of riding opportunities and ground (on his challengers) are also telling blows.
By the end of the time on the sidelines, closest rival Michael Rodd had levelled up with Duric on 63 winners, though still second on a countback for seconds, but the biggest mover and shaker was French jockey Olivier Placais who has stormed in to within one win thanks to a prolific haul of six wins.
But Duric served his penance, came back – and duly bounced straight back to business as if he had never been away – except for the obvious more laboured breaths upon weighing in.
“I’m feeling the pinch. I’ll be better for the run,” said Duric.
“The lowest I’m riding at is 55kgs which is really my minimum. I needed the run a little, but I’ll be right.
“It’s always good to come back a winner after a little break, two is even better, but four, it doesn’t get any better. There is still a long way to the finish, though.”
On the first leg of the four-timer, Southern Glory ($16 joint-favourite with Gannet) in the opener, the $20,000 Class 5 race over the Polytrack mile, Duric was at his usual efficient best, bringing the Stryker five-year-old home from the rear with a well-timed run to defeat Crown Delight (Nuh Komari) by one and a half lengths with Whizzy Waltzzy (John Powell) third another half-length away. The winning time was 1min 40.58secs.
“He was laying in all the way, but he won a nice race. He’s just a Class 5 horse, but it was good to get a win straight off the first ride,” said Duric.
Makkem Lad, his second winner in the $85,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1000m, was actually a horse Duric had singled out as one of his best chances this weekend. Punters were obviously on the same page – they hammered the Kuroshio three-year-old into $8.
“He did it tough three wide from the bad draw. He had to work the whole way but he attacked the line very well in the end,” he said.
Makkem Lad certainly did not have much of a cosy run in transit, but the way he stamped his authority inside the last furlong spoke volumes about his budding qualities.
One of Logan’s first arrivals when she set up base at Kranji last year, Makkem Lad careered away to an easy 3 ½ length-win from $510 rank outsider Diamond King (Lim Aun Kean) with Toosbies (Nooresh Juglall) third another 1 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 59.08 seconds for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
Though not as well-backed as the first two ($29), The Big Easy lived up to his name as Duric’s most facile winner of the foursome in the $20,000 Open Maiden race over 1200m.
Grabbing the lead down the back, The Big Easy, who is by former Singapore great Super Easy, looked to have the race all sewn up when he kicked clear at the 300m for Duric.
However, Lee Freedman’s beginner Irving Lipschitz (Craig Grylls) had other ideas when he came with a stinging challenge inside the last 100m, but Duric had rated The Big Easy to perfection as they fell in by half-a-length.
So dominant was the winner and the runner-up that it took another break of nearly five lengths to the next runner, Gratus (Simon Kok Wei Hoong). The winning time was 1min 9.76secs for a new Class record.
It was with the same catch-me-if-you-can blueprint Duric went with in the next race, the $45,000 Class 4 Non Premier race over 1100m, aboard Thomas De Lago ($23), a five-year-old son of Dylan Thomas who shed his maiden status at his last start 12 days ago.
Sent straight to the lead, Thomas De Lago duly doubled the dose, relegating Lucky Six (Ryan Curatolo) two lengths astern with Plucky Lad (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) third another quarter-length away. The winning time was 1min 5.99secs for the 1100m on Polytrack.
Duric's early four winners have now seen him push clear at the top on 67 winners, four ahead of Rodd and five ahead of Placais, but the fightback from those two should not take too long to materialise.
