Champion jockey Manoel Nunes finally got the monkey off his back in the New Year of the Rooster on Sunday.
With six Macau and three Singapore titles sitting on his mantelpiece, the Brazilian rider sure knows his way around on a horse, but for having ridden for close to 15 years between Macau, Hong Kong and now Singapore, he does know 11 other animals also featured on the Chinese horoscope quite well.
Even if Nunes won his third title last year, the end to the Year of the Monkey had been anything but a swinging good time – back-to-back careless riding bans amounting to six meetings cooling his heels while his fellow competitors had already hit the ground running with a major headstart as he got left standing in the gates.
Nova Missile hands jockey Manoel Nunes his first win in 2017.
He finally made his much-awaited riding comeback at last Friday’s standalone meeting with a full book of rides, most of them being well in the market, but if he thought he had enough bullets to fire up his season, he ended up with a frustrating run of seconds – four and all aboard favourites.
Nunes did revisit the winner’s circle, but overseas at an invitational series in Macau on the next day.
But it’s the wins back home that count, and Nunes vowed not to miss the boat at his next Kranji meeting. Auspiciously enough, he was to be greeted with much better fortune at the traditional Lunar New Year meeting.
That pact with hard luck was not easily broken, though. Riding $14 favourite Nova Missile in the $60,000 Smiles Of Fortune Stakes, a Class 4 race over 1000m, Nunes seemed to have no such smiles flashing down on him in the first half of the race.
Try as he might, the one-time winner could not come in from his wide gate, having to sit outside Kratos (Alan Munro) and Mastermind (Benny Woodworth), but seemingly settling quite well on the chewy.
Turning for home, Nova Missile hit the front and any doubts whether his early efforts would tell proved unfounded. Kratos put up a spirited fight but he just could not defuse Nova Missile.
The winning margin was one length. Champagne Rein (Zawari Razali) momentarily gave the impression he could overhaul the pair, but in the end peaked on his run to finish third another 1 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 59.72 seconds for the 1000m on Polytrack.
“I forgot where the winning post was!” joked Nunes as he got off Nova Missile.
“I had no luck at my first day but that’s racing. I knew I would eventually find the line.
“But this horse was caught three to four deep. I just had to make sure I don’t use him up too much.
“In the straight, he gave a very good kick and at the 200m I knew I couldn’t lose. Class prevailed in the end.”
Nunes’ own class later shone through again when he brought up a riding double with Mr Clooney ($63) in the $38,000 Windfall Stakes, a Kranji Stakes D Division 2 race over 1400m.
Contrary to Nunes, Alwin Tan, his fellow champion, but in the trainer’s category, has been a more regular visitor at the winner’s circle. Nova Missile was clocking in win No 10 already.
“He’s more a Polytrack type of horse, even though he can also run on turf,” said the Singaporean handler.
“I think his hoof has been bothering him a bit. Nunes also suggested we run him back on Polytrack.
“I was a bit worried when he was three wide in the race, but he just kept going. I think he can still improve further and the owners will have some fun with this horse.”
Nova Missile is raced by the Nova Racing Stable and now boasts a record of two wins and two seconds from four runs for stakes money closing in fast on the $100,000 mark.
