Winning Treble for Te Akau Singapore
16 August, 2021
Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker's team lit up the track at Kranji on Sunday - with three winners, Mark is now only two wins off the Trainers' Premiership lead.
The first two winners came back to back in smart succession early in the programme - with Dinar and Hamama continuing the wonderful start to the new trainer-Al Rashid stable relationship. Mark has now presented four starters for the Al Rashid stable, for three winners and a third! Enjoy the Singapore Turf Club's story on that brilliant beginning below.
The icing on the 'two win cake' - making it three - came courtesy of the ever-green Cousteau. The subject of some bad luck in recent racing - his jockey nailed it perfectly and the 7YO purchased by David Ellis at the Gold Coast Sale sailed home for career win No.6.
By Exceed and Excel from Maritime, Cousteau showed ability as a 2YO in New Zealand with five of his six starts coming as a juvenile - including a win, as well as a runner up placing behind Prom Queen in the Listed Champagne Stakes at Riccarton in May 2017. In New Zealand, he raced a total of six times for a win, two second and two third placings and a fifth placing - earning $20,925.
Towards the end of that year, his owners decided they would take the opportunity for him to race from Te Akau's Singapore stable and what a consistent individual he has been.
Cousteau has raced in Singapore 36 times - for five wins, three second's and four third's. He continues to race consistently, filling a number of other minor placings and to date he has won $225,990 in Singapore for his proud owners - $46,000 of that this season.
Dinar, Hamama Keep Walker-Al Rashid Momentum Up
Kranji newcomers Dinar (NZ) (Dalghar) and Hamama (Shackleford) kept up the good head of steam that began with newcomer Qaidoom (Noble Mission) for the new Al Rashid Stable and Mark Walker team last Sunday.
A debutant as well, Qaidoom was the first of a new batch of seven horses to salute for the Kuwaiti outfit and the three-time Singapore champion trainer in an Open Maiden race over 1000m.
One week later, a double from Dinar in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1200m and Hamama in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1000m gave a possible indication Kranji could be witnessing the emergence of a new force.
“It's great to saddle another two winners for Al Rashid Stable. They are new supporters and that can only be encouraging for the future,†said Walker.
While Dinar, an unraced grey three-year-old, looked green as grass when seen reefing and tearing under Walker's apprentice jockey Hakim Kamaruddin in the lead, Hamama was a lot more tractable under the same rider when parked outside leader Teardrops (Endorsement).
The outcome was, however, similar when Singapore's leading apprentice jockey gave the two Al Rashid Stable wards their heads in the home straight - a convincing victory that augurs well for their Kranji racing careers.
Though still ungainly in his action, Dinar easily shook off his rivals, with the 1200m on the Short Course wrapped up in 1min 12.02secs.
Walker was as usual not trying to stare into a crystal ball, leaving it to time and Mother Nature to give him a more accurate gauge of the two winners' ability, especially Dinar, who was an unknown quantity under racing conditions.
“Dinar was a bit green, but he won quite easily in the end,†he said.
“He trialled up well, but we don't really know the strength of the field. If he won as easily today even though he was as green as he was, he must have a lot of ability.
“We'll keep him at such sprints for now and space his runs. He's still got some way to go and the more racing he goes through, the more he will learn, and the more we'll learn about him.†- Singapore Turf Club
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