Right after Troy See made a romantic one-of-a-kind proposal to his fiancee Liang Peiwen at the parade ring of the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji on Nov 3,2013, the happy apprentice went on to ride a top race to win on Benji's Empire.
Last night, it was double happiness for the 29-year-old again when he took the opening race on the aptly named She's The One, a day after his first-born, Cara, was delivered.
"It's really double happiness again. She's a bundle of joy and winning a race is a plus," said See, the season's leading apprentice.
"The baby brought luck. The due date was the first day of Chinese New Year but she came early.
"She's the biggest gift a man can ever ask for. May she grow up well and live life on her own terms. Let nothing stand in her way."
Like the day he proposed - on one knee, a bouquet of roses in hand, the "Will You Marry Me" line flashed on the turf club's giant TV screen - the arrival of the stork also brought luck to See, a good rider who would have more riding opportunities if not for his weight.
Racecallers Thomas Wood and Matthew Jones both said that See's handling of She's The One was "the nicest run you've ever seen". Jones even added: "That was a fantastic ride. A 10 out of 10, Troy."
Indeed, it was.
Drawn the second-widest in gate 10, See relaxed She's The One nicely and secured the rails run to save precious ground in the $45,000 Class 4 Non Premier event over the 1,600m on turf .
She was a cosy lonely runner without pressure in midfield, enjoying a two-length gap from the last runner of the front batch and another two lengths ahead of the first runner of the second batch.
Spur Me On was challenged by the $13 favourite One Kinabalu on straightening.
By then, See had brought She's The One up beautifully with a saloon passage on the fence to be within striking distance.
One Kinabalu overtook the leader 250m out. But, in a trice, See drove She's The One to the front and it was all over bar the shouting.
Second was $50 shot Dream Big.
She's The One paid a juicy $75 for the win - her third success in 18 starts.
The four-year-old grey New Zealand-bred mare was the second career winner for trainer Young Keah Yong, after Amistad on Jan 14.
The Singaporean trainer had saddled She's The One only one other time before, as the horse was previously trained by two-time Singapore champion Mark Walker.
She's The One was See's fifth winner of the season, one ahead of R Zawari, who won on his only ride last night, Arc Triumph in Race 2.
He had to give up Avenger's Hero in Race 4 because he could not make the weight and the winning ride went to Z Zuriman.
