Rock ‘N’ The Jam turns up in Singapore Pools Trophy
Trainer Alderson’s in-form Jigsaw notches up seventh straight win in The Quokka at Ascot
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Singapore Pools’ chief product officer Simon Leong (front row, third from right) and board member Alan Goh (front, fifth from right) celebrating the successful running of the third Singapore Pools Trophy at Ascot racecourse on April 18 with the winning connections, including trainer Russell Stewart (front, fourth from right) and jockey Tyler Schiller (front, second from right).
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POOLS
Sharon Zhang
Jockey Tyler Schiller executed a well-timed ride aboard lightweight galloper Rock ‘N’ The Jam to land the A$80,000 (S$73,000) Singapore Pools Trophy (1,600m) at Ascot on April 18.
After finishing fourth on Playing Quest in the Quayclean Handicap (1,400m) in Race 3 of the 10-card meeting in Western Australia, the Sydney-based hoop pulled away to a convincing one-length victory atop the Russell Stewart-trained galloper.
Carrying the light weight of 54kg, Rock ‘N’ The Jam ($12) slotted himself in midfield shortly after jumping, just outside the Singapore-owned galloper Bakeel (Lucy Fiore), who was third-up for trainers Grant and Alana Williams.
Turning for home, Schiller slipped more reins on the Awesome Rock four-year-old and switched him out wide as the field got going for the final dash.
With the leader Avoidance (Shaun McGruddy), King Hit (Steven Parnham), Antique Star (Tommy Berry) and Investmentstrategy (Brad Parnham) fighting it out at the 200m, Bakeel – who was racing on the rails – found himself hemmed in behind the wall of horses.
Rock ‘N’ The Jam, on the other hand, was enjoying a trouble-free run outside and soon drew clear to beat Madame Magic (Holly Nottle) into second. Antique Star finished another ¾ length away in third.
Bakeel only found daylight late at the 100m, but he lost no marks with a fighting fourth under the top weight of 60.5kg.
Singapore racing maintained its strong presence in Western Australia for the third year in a row, this time at the prestigious BYD Quokka meeting.
Back in 2024 and 2025, Singapore Pools also lent its name to the supporting races at the WATC Derby day and the WA Oaks Day respectively. The Singapore gaming outfit was represented by chief product officer Simon Leong and board member Alan Goh.
“We are proud to mark our third year of partnership with Perth Racing, and to have our race featured on the prestigious Group 1 Quokka Day meeting reflects the strong trust and shared commitment we have built with the Western Australian racing community,” said Leong.
“We look forward to building on this milestone and continuing our collaboration with Racing and Wagering Western Australia and Perth Racing to deliver exceptional racing experiences for our customers and horse racing fans in Singapore.”
It might still be a bit early to say, but Stewart is already eyeing some big races in The Pinnacles – Perth’s Spring Racing Carnival from November to December annually – for Rock ‘N’ The Jam.
“This horse is a stayer, I’ve worked that out,” he said.
“He’s getting to a distance where races are going to start to suit him. There’s a 1,800m Rating 72+ I’ve already mapped it out, I’m that excited about him.
“Today, he was good but I said to Tyler he’s probably going to grind a bit on you over the last little bit and just be wary. He rode him a treat.
“They’re good riders from Sydney. Not disrespecting our riders, but you put them on and you get what you get.
“He was tracking up really good. When he gets to a 2,000m race or more, I think he’s the real deal.
“We’re gonna work him out and see if we do have a Pinnacle’s (Racing Carnival) horse at the end of the year. I think he is, but he’s still got to go to another level yet.”
Schiller, who won on Always Together at Kranji in 2024, said the run did not go as planned, but things still worked out in the end.
“We were hoping to be a touch closer, but he didn’t jump all that well,” he said.
“There was a little bit of pressure, but it probably suited him.
“We didn’t have to get involved in any early speed battles, but Russell was very confident that he had a nice horse on his hands.
“He said ‘just keep him out of trouble if anything does go wrong’. We had the light weight, so I think he got himself into a lovely spot.
“He hit a flat spot around the turn, but the speed of the race quickened. It wasn’t until he straightened out, got balanced, and then he put them away nicely.
“Really strong win. He’s lightly raced, five starts for three wins and he’s done nothing wrong.
“I think he just needs that little bit of confidence. He’s still a big baby, but he’s done a really good job.”
Western Australia’s richest sprint event – the A$5 million BYD Quokka (1,200m) – was captured by the in-form Jigsaw ($16), who held off a fast-closing Rey Magnerio (William Pike) to get up by ½ length.
Trainer Cindy Alderson’s seven-year-old gelding has won seven in a row – all with Logan Bates on board – since Oct 10, 2025. They included two Group 1 victories in the William Reid Stakes (1,200m) and the Railway Stakes (1,200m) in 2026, as well as the 2025 Group 2 Cirka McEwen Stakes (1,200m).
The Daniel Morton-trained Afireofgidgeecoals surprised at big odds of $121 under Fiore to claim the A$500,000 Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1,200m).
