RACING: McKeon's perfect ride brings group one glory

JOHN JENKINS
Australian jockey Gavin McKeon dedicated his group one success in Saturday's Mudgway Stakes at Hastings to the "battlers" back home and the great friends he has made in Hawke's Bay.
McKeon, 27, resided in Havelock North for several months during the past year and was the toast of Turks Bar there on Saturday night after steering game mare Seachange to victory in the feature event on the first day of the Kelt Capital Hawke's Bay spring carnival.
Minutes after Saturday's win McKeon paid tribute to the people who started him out on the road to becoming a jockey and those who have assisted him along the way.
"I'm thrilled to win such a big race in Hawke's Bay," McKeon said.
"I've got some really good friends here and it was great to win in front of them."
McKeon then thought about his mates back in his homeland.
"There will be a few trainers back home in the bush in outback Australia with one or two horses in work and little more than two cents to scratch together," an emotional McKeon said.
"It would be those blokes, who used to give me rides when I first started, who would be clapping and cheering still."
McKeon, one of the tallest jockeys in Australasia, struggled for race rides in his early days. But with a little success came better rides and more opportunities which saw him top the Queensland apprentice riders' premiership a couple of seasons ago.
He first came to New Zealand in August last year to further his riding career and before long had teamed up with Seachange, a plain little filly with bad front legs but with a tremendous will to win.
Seachange and McKeon were an unstoppable combination last season, winning five races in a row including the group one New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.
That was McKeon first group one success and on Saturday he brought up his second and took his tally to six wins from seven rides on Seachange.
The only time the pair have tasted defeat was when the Cape Cross mare finished third in the weight-for-age Foxbridge Plate (1400m) at Te Rapa on August 19, her final lead-up to the Mudgway.
The horse's Cambridge trainer, Ralph Manning, had been critical of McKeon's ride at Te Rapa, saying he wanted her ridden in behind the speed and instead she ended up sitting outside the leader.
But on Saturday he was singing the jockey's praises after McKeon turned in the perfect ride.
"It was exactlly how we planned it," Manning said after Saturday's win.
"I can't grizzle this time." Manning, 43, has been training horses for many years but rates Seachange as easily the best he has had.
"She's pretty freakish," said.
McKeon said the plan was to go forward and get across to the fence as quick as possible. Then let another horse come around and take a trial behind it.
"When Kristov came around me it worked out perfectly," McKeon said.
"She (Seachange) wanted to over-race for a few strides when he first went past but then I got her to relax and for about 200 metres she was doing nothing.
"On the turn I was able to get around Kristov's heels and when I asked her to go the response was electric."
Seachange put three lengths on the opposition in a flash and, although hot favourite Darci Brahma made a late charge at her, she comfortably held him at bay to win by a length.
Kristov battled on gamely for third, three-quarters of a length behind Darci Brahma and a length in front of fourth placed Calveen.
McKeon, while conscious that Darci Brahma was making ground strongly over the final stages, was only flicking Seachange down the neck with the whip and said she could have won by a lot more.
Darci Brahma's jockey, Michael Walker, said his mount was held up at a crucial stage in the home straight but was reluctant to say he would have beaten Seachange with a clear run.
"You can't say you can win because you just don't know. She might have fought back if I had got to her. But I did pull some ground off her."
Seachange, Darci Brahma and Kristov are all likely to meet again on the same track in three weeks time when they are expected to tackle the group one $150,000 Stoney Bridge Stakes (1600m) on the second day of the carnival.