French jockey Olivier Placais was full of praise for trainer Leslie Khoo after he finally steered Basilisk to his maiden win in Singapore on Friday night.

Placais does not team up all that often with the Singaporean handler, but if there was one horse that has clearly bucked the trend for the occasional pairing, it is Basilisk.

The Battle Paint three-year-old has had Placais atop at all his previous seven starts with three seconds and one third a sound indication there was some kind of chemistry brewing.

Basilisk (Olivier Placais) gets on the scoresheet in Race 2 on Friday, picture Singapore Turf Club

There have been a few letdowns no doubt, especially when coming off the back of an encouraging run, but despite those blemishes, Khoo and the owner Tan Le En have stuck solid with Placais. Their patience and combined efforts to draw out that elusive maiden win finally paid off in Friday’s $85,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1400m.

Enjoying a perfect smothered run in transit from the start, Basilisk ($28) followed favourite Arc Raider (Vlad Duric) throughout before upping the ante after rounding the home turn.

Arc Raider swept past the fast-fading leader Provocateur (Nooresh Juglall) rather easily, but was left a sitting duck when Basilisk hit top gear. The first-elect tried to rally but Basilisk was not to be denied his day in the sun this time as he gained the ascendancy to win by half-a-length.

Always in the first few, Beautiful Day (Benny Woodworth) shortened up but did well to hold on for third place another 4 ½ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 23.42secs for the 1400m on the Short Course.

“Well done to Leslie for the good job he has done on this horse as he’s not an easy horse to ride and he is quite a complicated horse overall,” said Placais.

“He can be a bit tricky like it’s hard to tell how he’ll run at times, but tonight he gave me a good feeling all the way.

“I had the perfect run behind the favourite. I knew then he would run very well, he couldn’t be in a better spot.

“He was very relaxed, but when they quickened at the top of the straight, he got left behind one length or two.

“But in the last 200m, he really went through his gears. I actually know the favourite well as I rode him at his last start, and he is the kind of horse who takes a while to kick.

“That’s why I was quite confident my horse would be able to pass him. He did hang in badly when he poked his head in front, but he kept on and got the job done in the end.”

For the record, Placais was not at his first win for Khoo as the two men did combine for one win before, Best Wishes on October 27 last year.

Khoo, who has been in red-hot form this season, said that Basilisk was no world-beater but might be able to scoop up a few more wins now that the jinx has been beaten.

“He’s been knocking on the door, but he also did not run up to expectations a few times,” said Khoo who was hitting his first dozen of winners for the year.

“I think he is best ridden closer to the speed, which he did tonight, and it’s paid off.

“I’ve been thinking of changing his bit as he tends to hang in, but I didn’t in the end, and he got the job done, anyway.

“The good barrier (2) also helped him. He jumped well and had an ideal ground-saving run.

“I think he can also go over more ground, too.”

Having already banked in prize cheques from his four placings, Basilisk has now taken his stakes earnings past the $80,000 mark for his connections with that first success.