Mark Hits 1000 Winners

Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker achieved a career milestone with the victory of My Tricia in the South Australian Jockey Club Restricted Maiden over 1400m on Sunday.

The New Zealand conditioner landed his 1000th success when the three-year-old came with a late run to claim victory.

Ridden by Te Akau stable apprentice Shafiq Rizuan, My Tricia ($46) scored by a neck from Lucky Lion (Ivaldo Santana) with Sacred General (Soo Khoon Beng) a length-and-three-quarters back in third place.

“It's been a long time coming,” said Walker of his career milestone. “It's a certainly a great thrill to get that number of wins under the belt.”

Walker had considerable success in New Zealand and Australia before moving to Singapore at the end of 2010 and that success has continued as he currently heads the Trainers' Premiership Table with 43 winners so far in 2013.

He burst out of the blocks in the early stages of the season before the winners have slowed up in recent weeks.

“A lot of the horses are probably half-a-grade too high,” said Walker. “They are slowly coming back to be at a competitive stage and hopefully there might be a few more winners coming up.”

Walker said My Tricia would continue to improve with age and believes the gelding will get over a bit more ground.

My Tricia was having only his seventh start on Sunday and Walker said maturity was what had been holding the gelding back in the early stage of his career.

“This horse is getting stronger now,” said Walker. “I know this horses family well and a lot of them don't come good until they are four, five or six-year-olds.

“This horse will keep improving with age and maturity and he's also just starting to come right.   He was dry-coated when he arrived here and has finally come right in that regard.”

Walker said he would give My Tricia a break in the stable over the next month and wait for a return to racing on the turf track.

“I'll give him a freshen-up in the stable over the next month,” said Walker. “We'll just keep him ticking over and wait for them to make a return to the turf track in September.”

My Tricia, a New Zealand-bred three-year-old by One Cool Cat from Tricia Ann, was purchased by David Ellis for NZ$55,000 from the Karaka Sale and has returned the My Tricia Stable around $45,000 in prizemoney from his maiden win on Sunday and one previous placing.