“But I didn’t hesitate when Andrew [Forsman, trainer] rang and asked me to come home to ride Aegon because he was really good racing at a high level in Victoria at the carnival.
“When you leave home, you hope one day to be the sort of jockey good trainers want to come to ride the favourite in Group 1s.”
Dee says he could ride in New Zealand more often over summer, much of which is off-carnival time in Australia, with the Karaka Million meeting at Pukekohe on January 21 a logical aim on what is not a strong day of racing in Melbourne or Sydney.
“But I wouldn’t just come home for any meeting or to ride any horse because my career is in Australia and I need to keep working at that.
“But Andrew is a very good trainer and I jumped at the chance to build my association with him.”
Dee has never ridden Aegon but the pair find themselves odds-on favourites in quite a weak Group 1, and if Aegon races up to his last-start fourth in the Champions Mile at Flemington behind Alligator Blood, then he is the one to beat, especially if the track improves to the slow range which should be ideal for him.
Dee will also partner the one-from-one juvenile filly Bella Ragazza for Forsman in the $140,000 Challenge Stakes and it wouldn’t surprise to see the filly continue her rider’s and trainer’s golden starts to the season in black-type races.
Forsman has trained an incredible nine black-type winners this season, and not only has two big chances in the stakes races at Trentham, but a talented three-year-old the stable rate highly in The Intimidator (R7, No 3) at Pukekohe today.
He has won two of this three starts and his $4.50 opening quote looks fair but Sacred Satono (No 1) will take some beating after finishing second in an open sprint against older horses last start, and he has the early speed to use barrier one.
