Century for Suppy

Rizuan Shafiq, aka Shafiq Rusof or Suppy, arrived in Matamata in winter of 2008 with a pair of shorts and jandals.  However he was the only staff member Mark Walker had with him when he landed in Singapore five years ago and last Friday he rode his 100^th winner.

“I'm so happy about it,” said Shaft. “I was suspended for six months on 99 wins and just came back and rode a winner."

Shafiq appropriately notched the ton aboard Secret Spice (3 f Sakhee's Secret - Caparison), purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis, for Fortuna Syndications, at the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale from The Oaks Stud draft for $47,500.

Shafiq scored his first win on home soil in New Zealand in February 2011 aboard Affirmation (Fastnet Rock), a stable stalwart that has banked $313,465 from eight wins and fifteen places in Singapore.

When he arrived in Matamata, the first horse Mark Walker put him on bolted!  However since then Shafiq has been crowned Champion Apprentice in Singapore, such has been his determination to achieve and the ability of Mark Walker to guide him.

Shafiq has overcome a lot on the way - for example broken legs - one rendering him to Waikato Hospital on Christmas Day and there was some doubt as to whether he would ride again.

“I learned everything in two years over there in New Zealand and I was very happy to have been granted a licence to ride while I was there. I went there to become a track rider for Mark Walker, applied to become an apprentice jockey and I rode three winners in six-months before I came back to Singapore with Mark.

“I was Champion Apprentice in 2011 when I set a record of 37 wins in a season which has since been beaten by Harry Kasim, who also rode in New Zealand, and my apprenticeship ends in December but I can still claim one kilo until I ride one-hundred and fifty winners.

“Harry and I have been friends since we were children.

“I am a lucky boy having got to know Mark Walker, and Julia (Walker) gave me a lot of help too. They taught me how to work hard and be patient. Mark says to me: “the harder you work the luckier you will get”. And I have already spent seven years with Mark. He is a really nice person and a very good trainer to ride for and work for.

“I have been married for two years to a Singaporean girl and we have a three month old baby boy. So, I'm a father and enjoying it.

“Mark has had a great start to the season and leading the premiership and I think he has a big chance to be the champion trainer this year. We keep getting better horses,” said Shafiq.

Below are some quotes given by Mark Walker to journalist Mike Lee (Digital Media) in Singapore after different race day assignments:

“I didn't give any instructions to Shafiq other than to tell him to ride him the way he saw fit. He rode a very intelligent race and the four kilo claim helped as well."

“Though he had to work a little to go forward, he gave him a breather at the top of the straight. Shafiq is a hard worker and has had lots of experience back home in New Zealand."

“He has a bright future here and the one advantage to have someone like Shafiq is he knows the horses in our stable and he gets the results in the races.”

Walker said his other two winners had been making good headway and their wins were more or less expected, but he said a fair share of the kudos should be directed to the New Zealand-trained Shafiq.

“Shafiq is riding with growing confidence every week. I always had confidence he would do well here,” said Walker who had Shafiq under his tutelage back at Matamata.

“The fact he knows all my horses is a big help,” said Walker. “He also rode a lot of barrier trials over all sorts of distances back home and that has certainly given him a good grounding.”

“Shafiq rode him and the previous winner (Buzet) very well. When he was with me in New Zealand, he got plenty of experience riding in barrier trials and I've always had a sneaky suspicion he would do well here.”