Consistent galloper Popi Popi provided Joao Moreira with his ninth winner for the weekend when taking out the $75,000 Kranji Stakes C over 1000m on the Polytrack on Sunday.
After riding six winners on Friday night, Moreira had bagged a treble following eight races on Sunday.
The treble puts Moreira on record pace to eclipse the 153 winners he rode during the 2011 season having already scored 32 victories in the first part of the season which commenced on January 1.
Sent out the $7 favourite, Popi Popi scored a half-length win over Lago Bay (Jacky Low) with Anavila (Greg Cheyne) three lengths away third.
Moreira has now ridden Popi Popi to three of his four victories and believes the three-year-old still has more improvement to come.
“I remember winning this horse's first win and I thought then that he wouldn't be as good as he is now,” said Moreira.
“But he has improved I still think there is more improvement to come from him and he will develop into a nice horse up here.
“I was lucky that the leader (Danzig Rocket – Ivaldo Santana) didn't cross us and we were able to take full advantage of the inside run.
“He jumped well today and in the last 300m he had Lago Bay really pressure him and make him race.
“He's got a big heart and he showed that today.”
Trainer Leslie Khoo said he freshened Popi Popi following his last start second behind Distinction over 1400m on January 15 and said the gelding appreciated racing back on the Polytrack.
“I gave him a little bit of a break and he only had one gallop leading into today's race,” said Khoo who now sits atop the Trainer's Premiership race with 11 wins for the season.
“He's a lightly-framed horse that doesn't need a lot of work but he's got a big heart that keeps him going.
“He's a versatile type of horse. He's probably better off on the Polytrack, but he's also shown he can handle the turf as well.
“A distance up to 1400m is ideal for him as he can race handy and has a turn of foot as well.”
A three-year-old New Zealand-bred by Ishiguru from the Gleam Machine mare Centrepoint, Popi Popi landed his fourth win from nine starts with a further two seconds and topped the $160,000 mark in prizemoney for the Joy N Happiness Stable.
Moreira later made it four winners for the afternoon when Cheif Secretary took out the final event, the $55,000 Class 4 Stakes over 1600m.
