New apprentice jockey Hanafi Noorman has not taken too long to ride his first career winner after he drove Haytham to victory at Kranji on Friday night.

The Bedok lad was incidentally receiving a belated birthday present – 16 days after he turned 26 on October 4.

Trained in New Zealand for six months, Hanafi was at only his third Kranji ride and overall seventh career ride as he did face the starter four times when he was apprenticed to Te Akau Stable trainer Stephen Autridge in Matamata.

Amazingly with fairly identical strike rates for second placings at the two different jurisdictions. He finished runner-up twice from his four rides in New Zealand and at his two previous rides in Singapore, he came close aboard his master Mark Walker’s Jacks Secret last Sunday, only to be denied by Heracles (Nooresh Juglall) close home.

But the top of the heap is what really matters, and Hanafi, who does not hail from a racing family, reached the coveted spot with a copybook ride aboard the Walker-trained Haytham in the $35,000 Open Benchmark 52 race over 1000m.

While the short and stocky rider knows the journey ahead is still very long, the significance of that first win was not lost on the young man who had his family around him to cheer him at the winner’s box.

“I feel great I rode that first winner. I actually knew that horse in New Zealand as I won a trial on him by seven lengths,” said Hanafi.

“He is pretty strong. I just sat and did my own thing, and it feels so great and it’s also a relief.

“Tonight is my lucky night and I have to thank my family who are here to support me.”

Hanafi’s father Noorman, a Grab driver and his office worker mother as well as his sister Lisah and girlfriend Stacy were there to lead in their hero at the winner’s stall.

“My family come to the races every time I have a ride. They have been very supportive of my career from Day 1,” he said.

“After I finished the army, I had no idea what I wanted to become. My grandfather who was a groom with Dr Yeoh Kheng Chye in the Bukit Timah days is the one who told me I had the build to become a jockey.

“In 2013, I signed up for the STAR (Singapore Training Academy for Racing) programme as a track rider for six months.

“After that, I joined Mr Mark Walker and he is the one who sent me to New Zealand for six months at the Te Akau Stable.

“I remember falling at my first ride in a race. My horse clipped heels and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Luckily, I wasn’t hurt but I lost a bit of confidence. Mr Autridge helped me a lot, and I was soon back riding.

“I wanted to stay longer in New Zealand to gain more experience but the boss (Walker) told me to come back as he needed riders.”

The four-kilo claimer also spared a special though for the jockey aboard the runner-up (Preferred) in the race he just won, his senior colleague Shafiq Rizuan, a former two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey who followed the same Walker-Te Akau learning path in New Zealand.

“I would like to thank Shafiq for his help. He gives me a lot of advice especially how to hold hard pullers, and I really appreciate his time,” said Hanafi.

“Tonight, I just followed the boss’s instructions to keep the horse in second or third position and keep up with the pace. I had no idea he was the favourite, so there was no pressure.

“This horse tends to jump slow, but tonight he jumped well and I had a good run throughout. I tried to keep as balanced as possible and in the straight I rode him mostly hands and heels, just gave him a few taps to make sure.”

Walker predicted a good future for his latest apprentice jockey. To him, his main asset is his diminutive but powerful physique.

“This kid has had some experience in New Zealand. He has the right size to make it as a rider,” said the 2015 Singapore champion trainer and current runaway leader.

“(Assistant-trainer) Gus (Clutterbuck) who was an experienced jockey in his time, having ridden more than 500 winners, has also been of great help to Hanafi.”

Singapore Turf Club riding master Damien Kinninmont joined in the congratulations by praising Hanafi mainly for his work ethic.

“Hanafi is one of the hardest working apprentice jockeys here. He is always riding the new mechanical horse in his sweat gear,” said Kinninmont.

“That horse (Haytham) was pulling but Hanafi did a good job to hold him. Very happy for him.”

Sent out as the $13 favourite, Haytham defeated Preferred by 1 ½ lengths with Lucky Six (Alan Munro) third another length away, clocking 59.06 seconds for the 1000m on Polytrack. The Saperavi four-year-old was registering his second win in 12 starts and has now taken his prizemoney level close to the $80,000 mark for the Al-Arabiya Stable.