Four riders get to spend X'Mas here

SINGAPORE - Four jockeys have seen their visiting jockey's licences extended until the end of the year, along with the addition of a newcomer to their ranks, Nooresh Juglall from Mauritius.

Danny Beasley, John Powell, Lisa Allpress and David Flores have had their licences - which were due to expire on June 30 - renewed by the Singapore Turf Club.

They are now permitted to ride until Dec 31.

Juglall was granted a three-month licence from June 1 to Aug 31.

A 22-year-old Mauritian-born rider, Juglall honed his craft for five years in South Africa where he claimed two National apprentice jockeys' titles in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 as well as two Highveld apprentice jockey championships.

From his haul of 280 winners, he has scored 10 wins at Group level.

Currently licensed by the Mauritius Turf Club, the lightweight jockey who goes to scale at 49kg and came out of his time in March, will be the first Mauritian jockey licensed to ride in Singapore.

Besides South Africa and Mauritius, Juglall has also ridden in Zimbabwe, Qatar and Macau, the latter two at apprentice jockeys' challenges where he represented South Africa, winning one race in Qatar.

Beasley, 38, has been riding in Singapore since October 2007. He currently sits in third place on the Singapore jockey's premiership table with 28 winners at a strike-rate of 14.07 per cent.

With the 2009 Group 1 Raffles Cup aboard Cheyenne Dancer and last year's Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile aboard Cash Luck as his local career highlights, the Australian jockey has begun a fruitful association with War Affair, having already won two Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge. He goes to scale at 51kg.

Powell, 44, has had several stints in Singapore with his current one dating back to February 2008.

Though restricted by his status as a heavyweight jockey, the Australian has been riding in great form this year, currently sitting fourth on the premiership with 28 winners from only 118 rides for a healthy strike rate of 23.73 per cent.

A two-time Singapore Derby winner in 2005 (Hello And Goodbye) and 2011 (Clint), Powell still enjoys his fair share of the limelight whenever he gets the right opportunities, as evidenced by his recent triumph in the Group 3 JBBA Moonbeam Vase aboard Cash Luck. He goes to scale at 54kg.

Eleven years after her first Singapore visit as Lisa Mumby from 2001 to 2002 when she won the Group 1 Lion City Cup aboard Classic Marco, Lisa Allpress, 38, returned to Kranji last September, recording 17 wins from 201 rides.

She was relicensed this year and has maintained more or less the same tempo with 14 wins from 214 rides, including five straight wins aboard smart sprinter Emperor Max, to sit eighth on the premiership.

A natural lightweight, she goes to scale at 46kg.

Flores, 46, is currently at his first long-term contract in Singapore, following a short two-week stay last July when he rode three winners. The Mexican-born US jockey has this term ridden 14 winners from 159 rides at Kranji to sit ninth in the standings.

A winner of three Breeders' Cups, three Hollywood Gold Cups, one Arlington Million as well as two Dubai World Cup races for the Godolphin Stable, Flores has already added a local feature win to his resume, the Group 3 Merlion Trophy aboard El Padrino in March. He goes to scale at 53kg.

This article was published on May 7 in The New Paper.

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