Jockey Blake Spriggs is making a move that he hopes will both build on his recent Group 3 success and consolidate a growing partnership with trainer Mitchell Beer.
Jockey Blake Spriggs (Pic: Bradley Photos).
Spriggs is in the process of relocating his young family from Newcastle back to Sydney and he’s eager to get more involved in what he sees as an exciting future for the Beer stable.
The pair will combine at Rosehill on Saturday when Spriggs rides promising middle distance prospect Brazil in the Precise Air Handicap (1800m).
“He’s a character and people are flocking to him so I thought I better make the most of that winning connection and be part of the group,’’ Spriggs said.
“Once he moved to Kembla I noticed him starting to build success and I’d seen his interviews and I could see he’s the type of person that will be going forward in the game.
“I thought ‘I’ve got to try and be part of this’. With the move I can be at trackwork and help him get a guide on these horses it can only be a good thing for the stable.
“Wherever you ride you need that, if you look at the jockeys that are near the top of any premiership they have the support of one or two of the leading trainers.”
It’s been eight years since Spriggs scored his maiden Group 1 win on Sir John Hawkwood in the Metropolitan Handicap and when he won the Group 3 The Warra on Headwall it was his first Group success since then.
He also has Beer to thank for recommending him for the ride on Suparazi in The Gong last month and he’ll be again riding that horse in next week’s Group 2 $2 million The Ingham at Randwick.
Suparazi’s trainer Ben Brisbourne stayed at Beer’s stables and booked Spriggs for the ride on the trainer’s advice and they finished a game second.
“We get on extremely well. There are some trainers you click with straight away,’’ Spriggs said.
“We’ve got to a stage where he trusts me enough to let me go out and react to what happens. He’ll have a plan on what he thinks a horse needs to do but he always says when the gates open you’re in control.”
Brazil is a horse that Spriggs can see has a bright future.
He started his career with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott but didn’t race for that stable then had his first three starts under Joe Pride.
Beer took over the training earlier this year but it’s been his current preparation that has seen Brazil show potential with two wins, and an unlucky second, from his past three starts.
“He really impressed me the first time I won on him,’’ Spriggs said.
“He’s out of a very good Tricolours mare in Pecans and they gave me a good push for him early days.
“When he won it confirmed he had above average ability, then he went to Newcastle and had no luck. He definitely should have won.
“He was able to rectify that going back to Kembla and winning well.”
Spriggs said he won’t be changing too much on the four-year-old, $6.50 with TAB on Friday, as he steps beyond a mile for the first time.
In his last start win, over 1500m, he settled near the tail in a field of six and made a long run with the last 200m his best work as he stretched away for a two length win.
“We get back and let him get into his rhythm early then trust his really good turn of foot for a distance horse to get him home,’’ he said.
“He’s capable of running a solid last 600m and even last start I had to make a long sweeping run on a Kembla track that wasn’t suited to backmarkers and he was able to sustain it.
“If we can jump on the back of someone from the 600m he’ll be in the finish somewhere.
“I still think he’s a horse that next time in we’ll see the best of him but I think this is well within his reach.”
Desert Voice has her third start for Beer in the Midway Handicap (1500m) and Spriggs might have his work cut out on the import who has finished near the tail in both local starts.
However, he does believe there is potential in the five-year-old who will go around at big odds.
“Her run was better than it looked (first-up) at Warwick Farm, when I rode her there she struck me as a horse that would stay all day,’’ he said.
“No doubt she needs to improve but slowly stepping up in trip is a good thing for her.”
– Racing NSW
