Jake Bayliss’s exasperation turned into exhilaration after he rode his first Singapore winner on Saturday, never mind if his excellent rating of Nate’s Honour from the front came in a modest $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race over 1400m.
For good measure, the young Australian jockey doubled the dose two races later ($30,000 Class 5 race over 1200m) on Rocket Ryane , wiping away for good the frown he had been wearing after his two "best chances" of the day played second fiddle.
After a first Singapore meeting when his best result was a second on roughie Gold Star last week, Sydney jockey Regan Bayliss's elder brother was starting to wonder if the bridesmaid tag would soon stick after the well-backed Istataba and Don De La Vega also found one better.
For having made these two his best chances to open his account, Bayliss was understandably a little rattled, but he needn't have stressed so much.
With a gaggle of horses in hot pursuit at the 300m, Nate's Honour ($19) appeared vulnerable, but under Bayliss's vigorous handling, he stepped up with a strong rally to beat Atlantean (Wong Chin Chuen) by one length with standby starter Happy Heart (Mohd Zaki) third another nose away. The winning time was 1min 24.7secs for the 1400m on the Short Course.
There was no outward show of exuberance or celebratory gesture past the post, but the Group 1-winning hoop is no iceman either.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear after I hit the line," said the 27-year-old, who as a boy, lived in the Lion City when his father Jamie worked as track rider to ex-Kranji trainer Mick Kent in the early 2000s.
"It's been a frustrating day as I had pencilled down the first two rides as my two best chances.
"When they both ran second, my two bullets were gone and I thought I was done for the day.
"But I kept showing up and got the win with another horse. Tim (Fitzsimmons) told me to be positive, positive, positive with this horse and don't let the others come too close.
"Put the brakes on, and only increase the pace from the 600m."
Fitzsimmons was thrilled for the 350-odd race winner he had got the monkey off his back sooner rather than later, but to be fair, was even more excited about his own milestone.
"It's my first four-timer since I began training here three years ago. I've had some trebles, but this is the first time I've won four," said the Australian handler who earlier won with Fireworks, The Bullet and Born To Win, all ridden by Manoel Nunes (see earlier report).
"Jake was a bit down when he walked down to the parade ring, he just had another second.
"I told him to just be patient and it'll come, and it came straight away. He's has four or five rides for me before that, and he rode all of them perfectly.
"I'm sure he'll ride plenty of winners here."
Of his 12th winner for the season, a score that ties him with Ricardo Le Grange and Daniel Meagher at the top of the log, but in second on a countback for seconds, Cliff Brown's ex-assistant trainer said the Turffontein six-year-old deserved plenty of credit from the way he fended off his challengers in the home straight.
"He was in the right race, in that second Division," he said.
"He got to the front, gave a good kick at the turn and fought on bravely."
Bayliss's win aboard Rocket Ryane ($31) in the $30,000 Class 5 race (1200m) fell in the same frontrunning register, except that he was this time clearly headed in the home straight. After being hounded by Lim's Unique (Danny Beasley) for most of the way, the Deep Field four-year-old finally capitulated around the 300m mark.
Bayliss had actually saved his mount for one last sprint as he came back along the rails to peg Lim's Unique back, going on to score with half-a-length to spare. Fast And Fearless (Marc Lerner) took third place another 2 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 12.9secs for the Polytrack 1200m.
