HORSE RACING: Jockey's million dollar start to budding career

It can't be easy riding a $1.2 million premier race then psyching yourself up for a $15,000 one 40 minutes later.
Jockey Buddy Lammas made it look easy on Saturday.
His face a picture of concentration, the 18-year-old apologetically excused himself, planting a kiss on the lips of radiant girlfriend Phillipa Morris before dashing off to straddle Caught Out in the 1600m Let's Go To Turks Premier race at 5.22pm.
He finished in seventh place but no one was going to hold that against him.
So in his absence why not talk to the girlfriend?
In the theme of every successful man has an equally prosperous woman behind him, Lammas had earlier thanked her for inspiring him to the Kelt Capital Stakes premier race victory.
"I gave him the drive to do what he wants to do and lose his weight. I guess it's just to lift his spark," Morris, of Levin, explained to SportToday.
Convinced Vosne Romanee was the best in the 16-horse field, she said she instilled the belief in Lammas that he could do whatever he desired.
"To be honest only a couple of days before the race he'll stop to eat right. He tries not to waste away and eats like normal people do - Maccas [McDonald's], KFCs and all that other stuff.
"We try to eat healthy but it's not always easy," said Morris, revealing they have a food bill of about $100 for a fortnight.
"Today he had to ride 53 1/2 kg on Wall Street [race 6] and 53kg on Happy Harry [race 7] so he had to go down quite low," she said of Lammas who shed about 4kg in a couple of days.
"We're going to splurge on some dinner tonight," Morris said with laugh, ruling out takeaways for a proper restaurant meal.
"He tries very hard. He's just out of his apprenticeship - he finished on Thursday - so he's a fully-fledged senior now and this is a good one to win."
Lammas, who left school to emulate older brother Cameron as a jockey, hopes to ride a Melbourne Cup winner some day.
Awapuni trainer Jeff Lynds always believed in Vosne Romanee.
"We had a horse who was capable of winning. We've just had no luck so he got that luck today - no, not luck but he got everything moving for him."
Lynds, who has had several group winners before but savoured his biggest stakes victory, felt a first five finish for Vosne Romanee was "pretty easy".
"It's the biggest win but we realise it's a good game horse and he does everything right."
Contrary to reports on TV3 of possible Caulfield and Melbourne Cup plans, Lynds ruled out taking the 7-year-old gelding across the Tasman.
"Oh no, no. We won't take him across. We'll just keep him in New Zealand, I think," said Lynds, who was going to celebrate with a wine at his Palmerston North home with the owners Ian and Alana Smart.
No doubt, like vintage pinot noir reds from the Vosne-Romanee area, in Burgundy, France, we haven't seen the best of this champion gelding just yet.