The highlight race of the day certainly did not go to script on the Chinese New Year meeting.
With two-time Group winner Golden Monkey (Manoel Nunes) sent out as the $7 hot favourite and King Arthur (Yusoff Fadzli) and Grand Koonta (Vlad Duric) also getting lukewarm support, the honest Sky Eye flew under a few radars and headed to the start at a solid each-way quote of $63.
Punters that were keen on Sky Eye were buoyed by the fact that the Jason Lim-trained six-year-old was going to be helped by a track that suited horses making their own luck on the pace. Furthermore, with only 49kgs to carry thanks to Jamil's four-kilo claim and the barrier four, he was always going to have some say.
Having drawn badly in gates 10 and 11 respectively, Golden Monkey and King Arthur were caught wide early, while Jamil took a sit on the rails behind the expected leader Fame Star (Jerlyn Seow).
When Fame Star kicked at the 300m, Sky Eye looked to be battling with King Arthur making an early move after the wide run and The August (Akmazani Mazuki) also chimed in with a big run as he had no weight (51kgs) on his back.
To his credit, Sky Eye found another gear to get on level terms with Fame Star and The August at the 200m. With both horse and jockey knuckling down for the fight to the finish, the pair eventually got the better of a courageous The August in the final 50m to win by a neck.
Quarter Back (Ibrahim Mamat) ran on well to finish another length away in third with the brave Fame Star a neck back in fourth to make it an all-apprentice quartet.
The winning time was a smart 1 min 8.94secs for the 1200m on the Long Course.
Happy punters cheered after Jamil returned to the winner's circle to pose with connections. The young Singaporean thought that Sky Eye had some hope as he spoke to racing presenter Scott Bailey after the race.
"I rode the horse on Saturday and I thought he was very relaxed," said Jamil, who had only four wins prior to Monday's victory.
"I said, 'I think maybe this horse can win'. He is a very good horse. I want to thank the horse and the owner (Gan Gim Chuan) for giving me the ride.
"My instructions were to sit behind the leader (Fame Star). My horse jumped well and was travelling nice and relaxed.
"At the 600m, I tapped him on the shoulder and he responded. When I started pushing him with the whip, he kept responding and I just kept pushing him to the line.
"I'm so excited to win a $100,000 race."
Lim attributed the win to the featherweight and a good ride from Jamil.
"I thought Golden Monkey was very good so I try my best to get the best out of this horse (Sky Eye) while he's in good form," said the local conditioner.
"He was checked at his last start and because of that, he lost by two lengths. So, I thought (with a) further claim, we would stand a chance.
"Jamil rode him very well today. He followed instructions, didn't panic and I think it shows why you have to give the young jockeys a chance."
But Lim also said there was more to the story than just a four-kilo claim.
"He (Sky Eye) was a $35,000 second-hand horse I bought for the owner for Class 4 races," he said.
"But (Singapore Turf Club veterinarian) Dr Dan (Shaw) suggested a new procedure – throat surgery - to try and help with his roaring issues and I thought, 'why not'?
"It worked and it also meant that we could try him over more ground. He won twice on the turf over 1400m already which goes to show how versatile he is now."
However, Lim would rather play it by ear when asked about the future plans for the New Zealand-bred son of Per Incanto.
"I haven't really got anything planned for him, just one race (at a time) and see how," he said.
"I'm very happy that the stable is doing well, the staff are working hard and it's good for the owners."
Sky Eye's seventh win from 35 starts took his prizemoney to close to $390,000 for connections.
