Alan Munro is not one to talk up his rides, but a sense of quiet optimism was palpable in the talented English jockey ahead of Jupiter Gold’s grand final this Sunday, the $500,000 Singapore Guineas (1600m).

Currently at his seventh season in Singapore, the experienced rider is the sort who prefers to let his riding do the talking, but if there is one horse who can make him come out of his shell a little more, it is Hideyuki Takaoka’s exciting three-year-old.

Munro has built up an enviable record with the son of Congrats since he took over Japanese visiting jockey Kanichiro Fujii after the latter left Singapore last year.

 

Six rides for four wins, one second and one third are statistics that speak volumes about the great rapport between the two. Fujii did nothing wrong on Jupiter Gold, but after he decided to head home, Takaoka had to find another partner and turning to Munro, the expatriate jockey he uses the most - with Better Life clearly their highlight - was a no-brainer.

The second place came at his very first ride, at Jupiter Gold’s first race as a three-year-old following a successful two-year-old campaign where he notched up two Legs of the Singapore Golden Horseshoe series, though he went by the wayside in the Leg that mattered, the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m).

Then came the winning streak during which the powerful ridgling scored four-in-a-row for Munro in his signature late flourish, putting themselves in good stead for a shot at this year’s Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge.

Takaoka deliberately avoided the first Leg, the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint, believing the six-furlong journey would be too sharp. Jupiter Gold went straight to the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m), but unfortunately, he found two better in the winner, the undefeated Countofmontecristo and his runner-up Could Be Pearls.

The odds-on favourite came up short, but when his sectionals are analysed, it was still an enormous run, said Munro.

“He had a lot of bad luck in the second Leg, things went wrong for him,” he said.

“The trip was too short, and he had no early speed in the race. After 100m we were already playing catch-up.

“In the last 800m, they were doing 22 seconds. Then that means he must have gone 21 seconds.

“He quickened up in the straight and gave his all, but the last 150m found him out. That’s probably because he had to be used at the start.”

The Kaz Hosaka-owned galloper has been kept ticking over since the Classic run, with Munro giving his latest gallops the seal of approval.

“He’s really good. I was very happy with his gallops,” said Munro who also rides Jupiter Gold in his trackwork.

“I feel that he has improved and is ready for the Guineas. The mile will suit him better, but maybe there will be no speed in the race, we’ll see.

“Hopefully we don’t have to play catch-up again. Countofmontecristo will again be hard to beat, but we will try our best.”