Horse racing: Victorian star to headline great Aussie jockey invasion

Captured By Love winning at Taranaki on Feb 3. Photo / Supplied

The great Aussie jockey invasion looks set to continue through New Zealand’s major summer carnivals.

And it could be headlined by Victorian star Blake Shinn.

Australian-based jockeys have had a huge year in New Zealand, started with James McDonald winning both Karaka Millions at Ellerslie back in January.

Matt Cartwright made an instant impression after moving here winning the first Group 1 of the season on Grail Seeker and Josh Parr added to the Aussie honour roll when partnering Captured By Love to win the $550,000 NZ 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on Saturday.

That continued a wonderful record the Guineas races at Riccarton for syndication and training giants Te Akau and owner David Ellis already has plans to have outstanding rider Shinn riding for them through late December and possibly through to the Karaka Millions.

“We have had Blake riding trackwork at Matamata for a few days this week,” explained Ellis.

“He is obviously a wonderful rider so we will be trying to use him during he carnivals over summer.”

Te Akau’s chances of luring Shinn to New Zealand for mutiple major racedays may be aided by the shape on the Victorian and New South Wales racing calendars.

Their biggest carnivals are in spring and autumn but with few major days in December and January.

Some of the leading Australian jockeys are reluctant to miss meetings at home any later than early February as it can cost them building associations with horses who will go on to star in the huge money races in March and April.

But that still provides a window to try and lure jockeys of Shinn and Parr’s calibre to meetings like the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day through until the ever-strengthening Karaka Millions.

The absolute jockey jewel in the crown for Ellerslie and the TAB would be getting McDonald to return for the Karaka Millions as he brings so many Australian eyeballs and turnover dollars with him.

McDonald is riding in Hong Kong for the next five weeks, resuming his association with Cox Plate winner Romantic Warrior at Sha Tin last night.

Te Akau’s main rider for the last decade Opie Bosson has been on a break from race riding but is back riding trackwork but still believed to be a while away from resuming on raceday.

With Te Akau having so many horses targetting the major summer races they will be using Wiremu Pinn for some of their better horses in coming weeks.

If Shinn does do some riding for Te Akau this summer it could also tie in nicely to their growing Victorian business, although there is no suggestion of a retained rider deal and Shinn will remain very much a freelancer free to ride what he wants.

One horse who looks certain to end up in the Victorian stable is Captured By Love after her Guineas win.

Ticking off that huge Group 1 goal here secures her a highly commercial future broodmare career but the best way to embellish that further would be to a secure an Australian black type victory, ultimately a Group 1.

“She isn’t eligible for the Karaka Millions or the NZB Kiwi so she will end up in Australia for sure,” said Ellis.

He thought the stable’s New Zealand Cup winner on Saturday in Mehzebeen could also end up in Victoria.

“She is going to get up in the weights really quickly here and there won’t be a lot of races for her but we think she could be a Melbourne Cup horse next season.”

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s racing editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.