Their good chemistry may have sparked the enviable record of five wins from seven runs, but Emperor Max will not have his regular partner Lisa Allpress on his back in the Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint.
Instead it is big-race jockey Zac Purton who will jump aboard the Stephen Gray-trained local hope in the $1 million showpiece. The Hong Kong-based Australian rider will also ride Tropaios for trainer Michael Freedman in the $3 million Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m), the race he won last year with Military Attack, on whom he himself has been replaced by his premiership rival Joao Moreira.
As can be seen, such jockey switches are not uncommon in racing, especially in the higher-profile events where more is at stake, but they can certainly dampen the mood in some camps.
Gray for one felt sorry for Allpress, who has scored five wins in a row aboard the son of Holy Roman Emperor since his Kranji debut before two gallant seconds to newly-anointed Singapore champion sprinter Zac Spirit in the Group 3 Kranji Sprint (1200m) and Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m), but respected the decision made by the Hong Kong owners.
“Lisa has done nothing wrong on Max. It was the owners' decision and it was out of my hands and me being in the middle, I could definitely see where they were coming from,” said the Kiwi trainer.
“However, I also felt very much for Lisa. They pay the bills and it's their horse. The decision has been made on the basis they wanted an international jockey in such a big race like the KrisFlyer and I had to respect their decision.
“It was tough on Lisa but she's a professional and she's moved on. No other Singapore jockey was considered and Lisa will retain the mount after the KrisFlyer as she has such a good affinity with the horse.
“To her credit, she will still ride Emperor Max in his trackwork leading up to the race including a final gallop next week.
“It's been a pretty emotionally-charged couple of days, but we've all moved on and we are looking forward to next Sunday week. We are focused on the horse's preparation and I just want to give him every conceivable chance in such a tough race.”
Like all jockeys, Allpress knows all about losing a ride on a good horse, but remained gracious about it, saying she will be cheering the loudest for her pet horse Max from the jockeys' room.
“Max is such a good horse and I know he'll do well. I hope getting a new rider on him will help him find a few more lengths and win the race,” said the New Zealand jockey.
“I haven't ridden him since his last race, but I've still been hands-on with him at the stable, give him a pick of grass and all that. Steve asked me to ride him in trackwork and I will definitely help with that.
“This is all about the horse and being part of a team effort to win the big race, not about me. I wish him and his owners well and it's also great for Steve to have a runner in the KrisFlyer.
“I will cheer for Max and however he runs, I really look forward to getting back on him after the KrisFlyer.”
After an honest career with leading Melbourne trainer Peter Moody, Emperor Max has exceeded expectations since his debut at Kranji, thriving with each race and winning them one after another.
Such was his meteoric rise that he was selected with five other Kranji sprinters to represent Singapore against the likes of last year's winner Lucky Nine and other world-class sprinters like Sterling City, Medicean Man and Balmont Mast.
With the build-up towards the Sprint feature well underway, Gray said he was hoping for a bit of rain to enhance his winning chances against such strong opposition.
“He was quite tired after his last race, but he's really picked up this week,” said Gray.
“But he's been such a good horse to us and never let us down. I would say his last race was his best even if he finished second, further away than his short-head second the first time round to Zac Spirit.
“He had to go across runners to get clear room while the winner (Zac Spirit) had an easier run when Mr Big went wide at the top of the straight.
“I have no issue about taking Zac Spirit on again although I'm aware that we've had a long campaign and the horse keeps lifting each time and if I can get a good effort out of him again, we may have a chance. I hope it rains, too.”
Gray said he had already spoken to Purton over the phone, shortly after the decision to appoint the Australian jockey was made.
“Zac's been good about it and understood the situation. He said he saw the videos and was very impressed with the horse,” said Gray.
“He's already done his homework on the sectionals, but said the Hong Kong horses (Lucky Nine and Sterling City) will be hard to beat, which I tend to agree with.”
