Winning Te Akau Singapore Double

Back in Singapore and back in double winning action - that was Friday night at Kranji for Singapore's 2015 Champion trainer, Te Akau's Mark Walker.

Whilst we loved having Mark back in New Zealand for the Karaka Sales, it was back to business (and the business of winning) for the now six-time champion trainer.

The first win came early on the Kranji programme with Lim's Knight as he took a sword to his opposition!  Then later in the last it was the turn of the talented Iking who won easily for apprentice CK Ng.

The wins took Mark to fourth on the Trainers' Premiership for the recently commenced 2016 season which is only a month old. You can be guaranteed it will be a highly successful season again, certainly based on the "fire power" in the stable.  In Lim's Knight, there maybe yet another "lethal weapon" about to be unleashed as the Singapore Turf Club reported:

Trainer Mark Walker looks to have unearthed another smart sort after Lim's Knight raced away an easy winner in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1200m on Friday night.

Second at his debut in a similar race two months ago, the Kaphero three-year-old came back from a nice freshen-up and was just too good once he was peeled to the outside shortly after cornering. In one fell swoop, he stretched to the lead, though inclined to lay in, before drawing clear to a 2 ½-length win from Born A Fighter (Barend Vorster) with Royal Easter (Corey Brown) third another three parts of a length away.

Sent out as the $13 favourite at the off, Lim's Knight recorded the time of 1min 10.78secs for the 1200m on the Short Course.

Lim's Knight (Oscar Chavez) scores an impressive win second-up on Friday night.

Walker said Lim's Knight was a delight to train and there was still more scope for further progress.

“He's a very nice horse that Mick Dittman picked from the trials in New Zealand,” said the Kiwi trainer.

“He's a horse with a lot of scope and there is still a lot of improvement to come out of him.  From the way he put the race away, I think he'll be even better over more ground in the future.”

Chavez, who rode Lim's Knight to fourth place in a barrier trial on January 14, was suitably impressed with the way his mount carved up his rivals inside the last furlong.

“He had a dream run throughout. I had to get him closer to the lead midrace and he settled beautifully for me from that point onwards,” said the Panamanian-born jockey.

“At the 600m, he was already travelling like a winner. Once I went around the other horses, he gave a very good kick and I knew he couldn't lose.”

Chavez paid compliments to the work put in by Walker's team in the ward raced by former multiple champion owner Lim's Stable.

“I rode him before and after his short break. All credit to Mark for doing a great job to maintain his condition,” he said.