Winning Singapore Treble

Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker had an outstanding night at Kranji on Friday training a winning treble with Smileswithhiseyes, Dreamcatcher and Encosta Diablo(main picture) all saluting the judge - as the Singapore Turf Club reports:

Trainer Mark Walker enjoyed his best night at the office in this current season when he took the trainer's honours with a winning treble on Friday night.

Runner-up to fellow Kiwi Laurie Laxon last year, Walker has up till then had a rather subdued campaign in the new term, though he is not known to scrimp on the numbers at Kranji every week.

Before Friday's meeting, the former five-time New Zealand champion trainer had raced the most horses among the 26 trainers operating at Kranji, with 192 runners having faced the starter, but he had, however, saddled only nine winners.

The experienced horseman from Matamata could not be blamed for not having prepared his horses to the minute, though, as he boasted the highest number of seconds on 20 - a sure telltale sign his yard would have been a lot further up in the standings had Lady Luck been on his side.

Friday's hat-trick has certainly bumped up those statistics to boost him to a position that does his status as a leading trainer more justice. From 14th before Friday's meeting, Walker has leapfrogged over seven trainers to now sit on seventh spot on 12 winners.

Walker's rampant form began with Irish-bred Smileswithhiseyes (Manoel Nunes) for his first winning partnership with the Lucky Stable, followed four races later by Dreamcatcher (Shafiq Rizuan) before Encosta Diablo rounded out the night with a slashing win in the penultimate event, the $75,000 Class 3 race over 1700m.

The $80 outsider motored home inside the last 400m to get the better of One Rar (Danny Beasley) by three parts of a length, with Iluminado (Noh Senari) third another short head away. The winning time was 1min 47.77secs.

Walker and his right-hand man Gus Clutterbuck were naturally all smiles as they headed down to lead in their third winner of the night.

“It's been great. The horses are in good form and they ran to form tonight,” said Walker.

“This horse (Encosta Diablo) has had many feet issues that were holding him back, and thanks to the nice job done by (farriers) Gary (Morley) and Paul (Summers), he's come right. They operated on the pedal bone of his near front to get it back right.

“It's really satisfying when a horse who had so many problems is brought back to racing fitness and wins like that.”

Nunes, who was at the second leg of a riding treble having earlier saluted on Walker's Smileswithhiseyes before later winning aboard favourite Sure Win in the last race, said he knew Encosta Diablo well for having partnered him at that only previous win over a mile.

“I know this horse as I won on him over 1600m before. He refused to jump and I rode him at the back, but he still ran on to win,” said Nunes who has stretched his lead in the Singapore jockey's premiership (on 33 wins) to 12 wins over second-placed Alan Munro.

“Mark has put him over shorter distances after that win, and he has learned to relax better. Like tonight, he was so relaxed all the way and he really switched him on when I pushed the button.

“Once I took him out and got a clear run, he just flew home. It was good to ride a double for Mark as well.”

The Encosta De Lago six-year-old (purchased by David Ellis) has now taken his total of prizemoney past the $100,000 mark for the Te Akau Racing Stable, on top of the NZ74,000 stakes money he had already won from his four wins in New Zealand.