Moloney has eyes on longer stint
Victorian jockey happy with his month-long visit
Melbourne jockey Patrick Moloney has got just two wishes in the short term.
He wishes to be back in Singapore for a longer riding stint next season.
And, secondly, he wishes to complete his month-long stint on a winning note.
And he reckons, the Lee Freedman-trained Muraahib could be the horse to give him that winning send-off.
So far, the 25-year-old lightweight rider is more than happy with the way things have turned out in this, his first Kranji foray.
His current "contract" ends at the conclusion of Friday's meeting.
For one thing, he has brought up a decent haul of four winners (Diamond Ring, Mr Malek, Just Landed and Ocean Crossing) from 38 rides, not to mention four seconds and five thirds.
A win at his last meeting tomorrow would be icing on the cake and he reckons Muraahib could be the horse to do it for him.
"I'm really happy with my first experience here. I've ridden four winners and let's hope I can improve the score at my last meeting," he said.
"I have only three rides, but I think Muraahib (in the Class 3 Division 2 race over 1,200m) is among one of my best chances. He was trained by David Hayes and Tom Dabernig in Melbourne, and though I don't really remember him there, I know he was a nice horse.
"I've received great support from leading trainers like Lee Freedman, Stephen Gray, Cliff Brown, Donna Logan, and Saimee Jumaat.
"I've ridden nice horses for most of them and I've really enjoyed my time here."
When asked to compare Singapore with his Victorian backyard, it's the less testing racing schedule in the Lion City which was the main draw to him - among a few others.
"It's less tedious here. The good thing is you guys race only on Friday and Sunday and you really look forward to those two meetings," said Moloney who hails from a racing family in Victoria.
"It makes you keener and I really enjoyed that aspect of racing here. It has also sharpened up my riding, you have to think a bit more, especially with so many apprentices around, it's ultra-competitive here.
"Off the track, it has improved my networking skills. Here I have to manage myself for the rides, whereas back home, I had a manager who took care of that."
Moloney said he had already lodged an application for a longer term in the new 2020 season. While waiting for the reply, he said he would just head back home to his former routine.
"After Friday, I will return home and just carry on with what I was doing before I came here," he said. "I've got some young horses, some three-year-olds that I am really looking forward to riding.
"Other than that, I don't have anything lined up for the Spring Carnival. I'll just wait to start the new season in Singapore on January 1 - if my application gets through, of course."
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