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Kelantan cemented further its reputation as a nursery for riding talents with Sunday’s first visit to the Kranji winner’s circle of Salim Yusoff courtesy of the Tan Hor Khoon-trained Kaiser.
Just like his peers from the Malaysian state, such as champion apprentice jockeys Shafiq Rizuan and A’Isisuhairi Kasim, Mohd Zaki and Zuriman Zulkifli, Salim was bitten by the riding bug early. He grew up riding ponies in his hometown, and it was not long before he decided to drop out of secondary school to turn his hobby into his full-time occupation.
And just like Shafiq and A’Isisuhairi, Salim honed his craft first in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur with Richard Lines) before gaining more experience in New Zealand where he notched 10 wins in a three-year apprenticeship under the tutelage of trainer Paul Richards when he was based in Wingatui.
Getting off the mark at Kranji was therefore not the first time Salim, now indentured to trainer David Kok, felt the adrenaline rush of winning, but it was still a milestone he will cherish for a long time to come, no doubt made more memorable with the light drizzle that came down just for that race on the 11-race programme.
“My first winner Without Doubt was for sure the most memorable day of my life, but this first win also means a lot,” said the 27-year-old who splits his time between Johor Bahru and Singapore.
“I always wanted to come and ride in Singapore after New Zealand and I’ve waited for a while for that day. I’ve had two seconds and it sure feels great to finally break the duck.”
Salim joined the Kok yard late last year and had two seconds as his best showing in 29 rides since his debut at the beginning of the 2015 season.
Married with no children, Salim did not fail to dedicate that first win to those directly responsible for his first success. Kaiser, a six-year-old by Seidnazar, took out the $38,000 Kranji Stakes D Division 2 race over 1100m on Polytrack.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to the trainer HK Tan, the owner and also David Kok for their support,” said Salim.
“I rode this horse in trackwork and it’s good of them to keep me on him. I actually ride a fair bit for HK as well as Theo Kieser after I’m done with riding trackwork for David Kok.
“The instructions today was to go to the front and take a hold of him until the last 400m. The horse hit the line very strongly.”
Tan said the young man listened to his instructions to a tee and got his just rewards.
“Salim rides a bit of trackwork for us and he rode this horse. When the owner found out he could claim four kilos, he said go for him,” said Tan.
“The light weight helped a lot. I’m happy for Salim as he’s ridden a few seconds for us and he fully deserved that first win.”
Previously under the care of trainer Theo Kieser (six wins), Kaiser ($18) has been a stalwart for the Griffin Stable for whom he has now brought up eight wins and 10 placings for stakes money in excess of $470,000.
