Welcome Back Manny

It is great to know that champion Singapore rider Manoel (Manny) Nunes will return to the saddle this weekend - he has struck up a formidable relationship with Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker and we look forward to him saluting the judge many more times this season aboard our runners ...

The Singapore Turf Club reported ...

Back from his enforced holiday, Singapore champion jockey Manoel Nunes will resume race-riding as soon as this weekend.

Nunes had to spend one month on the sidelines when found guilty of returning more than one pound (half-a-kilo) underweight shortly after winning aboard Falcon in a race on February 15.

While weight was the conviction for the sentence meted out by the Singapore Stewards, in that particular case, a lack thereof, the Brazilian rider was sporting the same problem when seen riding trackwork at Kranji on Tuesday, but this time on the other side of the scales.

“My mum has been cooking a lot of nice food back home. That's why I came back one week early to get my fitness back,” said Nunes as he gently patted the slight bulge still protruding from under his tight-fitting skivvy.

“I had to tell her to stop, but it was good to be back home for a while. I went alone as the two girls are schooling; I went to Sao Paolo and also spent some time at a friend's place in Curitiba.  But I went jogging and swimming every day I was there. I'm still a little fat, but I should be okay after this week.”

Nunes did not have to give ample notice he was back as he had already been booked for a few good rides this Friday and Sunday.  Signing off with a double on his last day before suspension (May 24) to bring his score to 68 winners, Nunes saw his massive lead of 33 winners on Michael Rodd inevitably whittled down by 10 winners in the last four weeks.

“That one-month suspension was frustrating, not only because it is a long time and I lost the big lead,” said Nunes whose charge rested on the fact “he negligently failed to maintain and monitor his bodyweight”.

“But also because I still don't know what happened. I have been suspended before for a mistake I know I made, but in this case, I still don't know what went wrong. But it's over now. I've served my time and I've moved on. All I can do now is get back riding winners and hopefully, kick away again.”