SCHILLER MAKES KRANJI PITSTOP VISIT COUNT

Young Aussie jockey wins one race in first S’pore raid, Bowman also gets on the board

- Michael Lee

Sydney jockey Tyler Schiller may not have had the right tools to deliver at his main Kranji mission, but neither did he go home emptyhanded.

While his ride Galaxy Bar for trainer Steven Burridge was simply outclassed by Lim's Saltoro in the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1,800m), the 25-year-old enjoyed better luck aboard Always Together six races earlier in the $70,000 Class 3 race (1,400m).

If Always Together's odds as the $110 rank-outsider in the small sixhorse field reflected the lack of confidence about his winning chances, Schiller's handling would have done little to garner more friends.

Bustled up early to stride one length clear of even-money favourite King Of Sixty-One (Bruno Queiroz), but one off the rails, Always Together would likely be left a sitting duck in the home straight.

As predicted, King Of Sixty-One, a noted front runner, reclaimed his dictating role upon straightening, but to everybody's surprise, Always Together was not a spent force yet.

With the other backmarkers not cutting much ice, the Shalaa four-year-old was proving to be the only thorn in the first-elect's side at either end of the race.