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Former Singapore champion apprentice jockey Shafiq Rizuan bounced back to winning ways on Friday night.
The talented rider last saluted the judge aboard Grand Cross on November 20. Ten days later, he met another type of judge when he was handed a two-month suspension for not riding Star Invincible to the satisfaction of the Stewards.
Shafiq kept working hard during the enforced holiday, mainly for his former master Mark Walker, patiently riding out the bad times, until February 4, the last day of his protracted time on the outer.
And ironically, it was a horse named Court Case who got him out of the dock.
Riding the erratic grey for Walker in the $60,000 Air Canada Cup, a Class 4 Division 3 race over 1200m, Shafiq turned in a masterly ride that reminded us why he won the top rookie award twice.
Having noticed all the previous five winners had hugged the rails for most of the race, Shafiq decided against fanning across to the outside when the Star Witness four-year-old cornered.
Taking the shortcuts home, Shafiq and Court Case (13-1) waited for a gap to widen between last-start winner Ladrone (Matthew Kellady) and Astrospeed (Manoel Nunes) before going for broke inside the last 100m. Court Case lengthened up beautifully once he saw daylight to go and finish in advance of Ladrone by three-quarter length.
Astrospeed had to settle for third place another 1 ¾ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 9.87secs for the 1200m on the Long Course.
Shafiq could not conceal his elation as he put behind the bad times and soaked in the limelight again.
“I’d like to thank Mark Walker, Te Akau Racing and Mr David Ellis for their support,” said Shafiq who was their apprentice jockey for a number of years in New Zealand.
“It’s good to be back a winner. I’ve spent a bit of time with this horse and I’m glad he’s the one to give me my first win this year.
“I’ve been watching the previous winners and I noticed they were all coming from the inside and none of them went around the outside.
“That was why I decided to stay on the rails instead of coming out early. It was also his first time over turf, but he handled it very well.”
Walker said that first win can only give his former apprentice wings as he put behind him his mistakes of the past.
“It’s good for Shafiq. It’ll only give him more confidence as he goes along,” said the Kiwi mentor.
“He rides this horse a lot in trackwork, but Oscar Chavez was the first one to sort him out at the barriers as he’s always been a difficult horse.
“That is why he’s never really gone over turf because we just wouldn’t get him around to the start.”
With that third win on the board, Court Case has now brought his stakes earnings close to the $170,000 mark for his connections.