Fourth Win - Champion Team at it again!

The Singapore Turf Clubs reports on Te Akau Racing's fourth win in eight hours ...

The champion team of Mark Walker and Manoel Nunes began the year in the same cracking way as they did last year - with a winner.

Whether the dynamic duo will go and finish on top of the pile at the end of the season remains to be seen but for now they will savour that first winning combination with Kam's Comet.

On New Year's Day, they also opened their campaigns with a winner thanks to Jimmy Rea, though Walker had already tasted victory earlier this year with Zac Gallant, ridden by his apprentice jockey Ng Choon Kiat.

Nunes, who owed around a third of his haul of 123 winners to Walker in 2015, was glad he had got off the mark early, especially as he had missed out on the last three meetings in December on suspension.

Kam's Comet (Manoel Nunes) scores a nice win in Race 5 on Friday.

“It's good to start the new year with a winner. I'm looking forward to another great year,” said the Brazilian two-time champion jockey.

“This horse had a lovely run on the inside when they rolled off the fence but in the straight, I heard Oscar (Chavez on Good News) shouting. I looked to my left and there was enough room and I was able to hold my line.

“He kept digging deep all the way to the line. He's a very genuine horse, always tries 100%.”

Walker's assistant-trainer Gus Clutterbuck could not be more delighted with the way the defence of their first Singapore champion trainer title had begun.

“It's fantastic to get two winners at the first meeting,” said the Kiwi horseman deputising for Walker who was back in New Zealand on holidays.

“This horse has kept improving all the time and has taken everything in very well. The way he's going, I can't imagine him not going up to 1400m on grass as I think that's where he's at now.”

Kam's Comet, who was sent out as the $16 favourite in the $100,000 Celebrations 2016 Stakes, a Class 2 race over 1200m on Polytrack, settled midfield originally before he took full advantage of a charmed run on the fence to find himself in pole position as they swung for home.

Good News loomed up on his inside, but could not quite take the gap while Mr Fantastic (Nooresh Juglall) had had enough after launching his attack from the home turn.

In the end, Kam's Comet kept up a strong gallop to the line to gain victory by 1 ¼ lengths from Good News with Mr Fantastic weakening to third place another 2 ¼ lengths away. These Streets (Wong Chin Chuen) temporarily looked half a chance but did not accelerate as expected to settle for fourth place another head away. The winning time was 1min 10.8secs.

A four-year-old by Danroad, Kam's Comet has now brought his record to six wins form 11 starts for stakes earnings close to $290,000 for Dutch owner Mari van der Kam.