Wish I was there, it is what it is: Duric

Fans of four-time Singapore champion jockey Vlad Duric will be sad to learn that the Australian will not ride at Kranji any more.

The popular hoop took everybody by surprise when he returned to Australia in March.

He did, however, left the door open when he said he would be back for the major races before Singapore closes down on Oct 5.

His decision to dodge his Victorian home state for Queensland instead was right on the money.

Duric hit his straps at his new hunting ground right from Day 1, scooping winners in spades, mainly at Eagle Farm and Doomben.

But true to his word, he did fly back in for hit-and-runs in the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) on June 30 and the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1,800m) on July 21.

His ride Bestseller could not win, though, finishing second and fourth respectively, beaten by Lim’s Saltoro on both occasions.

In four other bookings on the undercard, the mercurial jockey could fare no better than a second aboard Pacific Padrino on Stewards’ Cup day.

But his name has not popped back up on a Kranji racecard since, be it at the next Group 1s, the Lion City Cup (1,200m) on July 28 or the Raffles Cup (1,600m) on Aug 11.

Some still thought he might be back with Bestseller contesting the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1,800m) on Sept 7.

But trainer Ricardo Le Grange had instead booked jockey Krisna Thangamani for the ride on the Sandy Javier-owned ward.

It turned out that Duric was celebrating his 47th birthday with his family in Melbourne that day, but that was not why he had snubbed the royal event.

“There was no long-term commitment on Bestseller. I didn’t chase for the ride, I never chased any other rides after the Derby either,” he revealed.

“It’s become very difficult with the Group 1 races taking place on a Saturday from the QEII Cup onwards. They clash with our Saturday races.

“And even if I wanted to come over, I hurt my knee in trackwork at Caulfield two weeks ago. My doctor said I’m out from four to six weeks.”

That effectively puts him out of the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) on Oct 5, but he was already a long shot for the handicap event – one of the rare Group 1s to have eluded him – with or without injury.

For argument’s sake, the only horse the heavyweight jockey could ride is the topweight Lim’s Kosciuszko on 122 points.

If he goes for a serious weight loss programme, at most, he could ride stablemate Lim’s Saltoro on 98 points should the top impost be 59kg.

But it is a non-issue to start with. Daniel Meagher’s No. 1 and No. 2 and likely two top elects already have their riders, Marc Lerner and Wong Chin Chuen.

He can forget about the other 14 nominees. They are all beyond his weight range unless he cuts an arm off.

“I really wanted to be there for that last day. Singapore has been a special place, both for my career and for me and my family,” he said

“It would have meant a lot to be there to show my gratitude to the racing people who have supported me for so many years.

“But, the Gold Cup is just not a race for me. With Lim’s Kosciuszko in the race, there’ll be a lot of 50kg, which I can’t ride.

“Besides, the lightweights have laid a mortgage on the Gold Cup in recent years. So, it is what it is.”

Born optimists might still pray that the crutches are off by some miracle, and he could waste down to 51kg by eating one apple a day.

But there is one good and final reason why his Singapore score of 701 winners was already cast in stone by Sabah Ace on March 23 – and he was just not meant to ride at Singapore’s farewell.

“I’ll be in Japan on Gold Cup day. I’ve planned that trip with my family for a long time,” he said.

“I leave this Sunday and won’t be back until Oct 18.”

Duric has actually tried a Melbourne comeback since August. He has thus far ridden a double in Moe, but the injury has cut the stint short.

“It’s been difficult to get my eye back in. Melbourne is very competitive, more so with the Spring Carnival that’s just started,” he said.

“I’ve become semi-irrelevant here, and now, I’m on the sidelines, anyway. I’ll return to Brisbane after my Japan trip.”

manyan@sph.com.sg