After two toothless runs at Group level, Tiger Roar found his bite back in the $85,000 Class 2 race over 1,400m yesterday.

Carrying only 51kg, last year's champion three-year-old was this time able to reproduce his pulsating turn of foot to winning effect, unlike at his last two efforts when he was ridden upside down.

In the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1,600m), he was too far back and still finished third to Relentless, but in the Group 1 Singapore Derby (1,800m) three weeks later, he was too close, and punching the breeze three wide. Inevitably, he was left without a sprint to challenge eventual winner Lim's Kosciuszko.

To trainer Michael Clements, the lesson learnt was simple. Do not take Tiger Roar out of his comfort zone, ride him to his strength, which is to drop him cold at the rear and let him pounce late.

"That's how he's won his best races. We have to ride him patiently early and let him wind up," he said. "He'll find the line well, like he did today."

The 2020 Singapore champion trainer did not have to spell these instructions out to newly upgraded jockey Simon Kok.

The Malaysian and former two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey gave up the ride on Tiger Roar in the last two Group races due to complications stalling the approval of a new employment pass (EP) to his promoted status as a senior rider from July.

Kok knows Tiger Roar inside out for having won on him in the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1,200m) last year and on two other occasions.

With the EP finally cleared last week, Kok sprang onto Tiger Roar with the bit between his teeth.

The script could not have been written any better. Tiger Roar ($13 favourite) flopped out of the gates to blend into the rear division, but tailing a good back in stablemate Prosperous Return (Jake Bayliss).

After Tiger Roar saw daylight at the top of the straight, he overpowered Prosperous Return, who lost no admirers given he gave away 3.5kg to the winner for a 11/4-length beaten margin. The winning time was 1min 21.63sec for the 1,400m on the short course.

The way the plan has come off may have looked awfully simple, but hindsight is a beautiful thing.

"I think he was given a great ride by Simon, who knows the horse well," said Clements.

"There is an art to riding his horse. Simon knows that, and he was effective on him again."

Analytical as ever, Kok said he was, however, niggled by moments of self-doubt in the race.

"Throughout the whole morning, I told myself I would put my trust in this horse," he said.

"On the short course D, the pace was on, and I should have probably been closer than I was, but again, I just trusted the horse.

"I kept him underneath, and he responded well. This horse means a lot to me, especially the colours.

"The owners (Falcon Racing No 7 Stable) always put me on their good horses. The EP process has taken too long, and it made me even hungrier. I could only hope things would work out for the best for me."

That milestone as a debuting freelance jockey turned out to be a red-letter day for the Ipoh native. He booted home a treble with King's Speech ($36) and King Zoustar ($133), sharing the day's riding honours with fellow Malaysian Wong Chin Chuen, who won on Cizen Lucky ($22), Lim's Craft ($17) and War Frontier ($129).

The day was marred by a two-horse fall in the first race when last year's champion jockey Hakim Kamaruddin and jockey Danny Beasley fell from Master Player and Absolvido respectively.

At the 900m, Master Player appeared to have clipped heels, with Absolvido unable to avoid him.

Hakim was taken to hospital and was later stood down while Beasley was unhurt and able to honour his remaining rides.

It is understood Hakim was allowed to return home. The two horses were reportedly unharmed.