Just as the fat lady was warming up to sing, MANOEL NUNES’ stranglehold on the jockeys’ premiership took a dramatic turn for the worst after it was revealed he suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck after crashing to the turf aboard ALQANTUR in the Three-Year-Old Sprint.

Heading into the meeting on the 18th of June, NUNES (58 wins) had a massive 34-win lead over Oscar Chavez (24 wins), and was a $5.30 favourite ($1.06 for those unfamiliar with Singapore’s $5 per ticket system) to win the Kranji title for a fourth time after claiming previous titles in 2014/15/16.

A nervous few weeks ahead now awaits NUNES to determine if he requires surgery on the vertebra or if an extended break from the saddle will be enough to allow the fracture to heal naturally. Either way, the Brazilian champ won’t be seen in the saddle for some time and the premiership title race remains open.
https://www.irace.com.sg/2022/06/21/nunes-injured/