Ruan Maia will get an extra buzz if Every Time wins the second race at LetsRun Park racecourse in Seoul on Sept 5.

The 150 million won (S$140,000) race is a Special Weight B conditions 1,200m event, but that is not why it may be so special to the Brazilian jockey.

If anything, Maia would be more hyped up the next day when South Korea stages its biggest race, the 1.6 billion won Grade 2 Korea Cup, in which he takes his first ride, outsider Wonpyeong Storm.

Besides, Maia has contested and won countless Special Weight B races since moving to Seoul from Singapore in 2024, the year horse racing shut down in the Republic.

However, a touch of nostalgia might kick in this time when Maia gets his leg-up in the mounting yard. The race is named the Singapore Pools Trophy, amid other international trophy races hosted by the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) as a prelude to Sunday’s marquee meeting.

If Every Time crosses the line first, flashbacks of Group 1 memories from Kranji may well flood his mind during the Singapore-themed prize presentation.

Maia won five feature races at Kranji, including two Group 1 wins with Aramaayo in the Kranji Mile and Raffles Cup in 2020, his breakout season when he finished runner-up to Vlad Duric.

With his mount Every Time seeking a hat-trick of wins, there is a high chance Maia will relive such post-race fanfare.

A three-time runner-up in as many starts as a juvenile last season, the home-bred three-year-old has exploded onto the scene with two powerful on-pace wins in 2026, both over Saturday’s course and distance and with Maia up.

The former two-time Macau champion jockey is hoping for a third win – with that Singapore throwback as a special bonus.

“I had a good time and won a lot of races in Singapore,” said Maia, whose first Kranji ride was remarkably a hit-and-run win with Circuit Land for Lee Freedman in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1,600m) in 2018.