Jockey Corey Brown’s winning touch in Sydney just over 24 hours earlier carried through to Singapore when he booted home a winning double at Kranji on Sunday.
After landing only a few hours earlier from a successful one-day raid at Royal Randwick the day before when he scored aboard Leebaz for Team Hawkes, the gun Australian rider jumped right back on two winners at Kranji’s Sunday meeting. He got right on the money at his first ride, Danger Money ($32) for trainer Bruce Marsh in the first race, before doubling the score aboard $13 favourite Turangawaewae for trainer Laurie Laxon four races later.
Brown, who has been riding with success at Kranji in the last 10 months, is no stranger to such quick jaunts back home, having flown to Melbourne three times during the Spring Carnival last year, but this was the first time he had made the trip count.
“It was good to catch up with the boys back home, but also to ride a winner for the old boss (John Hawkes). I picked up one second and one third, so it was all good,” said Brown whose best finish in one of the Group races was a third aboard Moriarty in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes won by Appearance.
“If the phone keeps ringing, I will definitely go back home for more rides.”
But Brown’s priority remains Singapore which he now refers to as his “backyard”, and judging from Sunday’s double to bring his score to 13 wins and pinch fourth spot from Ivaldo Santana, he is well on course to further making his mark at Kranji.
“It’s nice to get back on two winners in my backyard straight after coming back from Sydney,” said Brown, who incidentally was a winner at his last ride (Sir Lovesalot) in Singapore on Friday night before taking his Sydney-bound flight a few hours later.
“That horse of Laurie’s sure has ability, though he is still learning what racing is all about. Laurie's horses are generally getting their momentum back now.”
Though the marble one advantage enabled the Postponed three-year-old to hold the rails position and keep Eagle Storm (Danny Beasley) one-off the rails from the get-go, Brown thought it was not the best run in transit.
“That position was not ideal as it was not natural for him to be in that spot, but he pulled his way through in the end,” said Brown.
“I didn’t want him to pull away from Danny’s horse too early as he can get a bit lost when he is in front alone. But once he drew clear, he kept it together quite well.
“He’s definitely going to get better as he goes further.”
Laxon has not cast anything in stone for the Silver Fern Racing Stable-owned gelding, though a shot at the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge (which kicks of with the first Leg, the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) on March 30) has not been ruled out.
“He’s a handy little horse who ran third at Trentham before we brought him here,” said the New Zealander.
“He’s still pretty green, but he’s a young horse on the way up and I suppose I could look at the 3YO series for him. For now, I will see around what fits into his programme, maybe another 1400m race.”
