New Plymouth jockey Paul Taylor is hoping the positive publicity he is receiving for leading the jockeys' holiday challenge series will help him pick up extra rides at Ellerslie on January 1.
Taylor doesn't intend riding at the Auckland meeting tomorrow but plans to be in action on the competition's remaining
four racedays.
That includes Auckland Cup day when his only confirmed rides at this stage are Waikato Cup winner Okiwi Bay in the $350,000 Auckland Cup and Mendacity in the $250,000 Railway Handicap.
"Hopefully if I'm still up there (in the lead) when it comes to Ellerslie, it might help getting me another couple of rides," Taylor said.
Taylor said he was compiling a "good" book of rides at both Stratford on Monday and the Wairarapa Racing Club's meeting at Tauherenikau on January 2.
The jockeys' challenge is a TAB initiative in which punters can bet on which jockey rides the most winners between December 26 and January 2. So far the TAB has taken over $50,000 in bets on the outcome.
Taylor stretched his lead in the challenge competition when riding a treble at New Plymouth yesterday.
The lightweight rider has a total of six wins to give him a three-win lead over closest rival Lance O'Sullivan, who rode a treble at Rotorua yesterday, in the competition.
Among Taylor's successes yesterday was the main race on Cambridge-trained galloper Hoopla.
In the early charge for positions in the 1600m race, Taylor settled Hoopla mid-field before going forward on the Ralph Manning-trained runner to challenge for the lead on the home turn.
Hoopla took control early in the run home to go on and score by three lengths from Sydney Doris with Schimmel battling on well with a slipped saddle taking third three-quarters of a back.
Taylor's other two winners on the Taranaki card came with Sleaking and Horace Sparks.
Bookmakers carved more then $17.50 off Taylor's opening odds of $20 after he made a flying start in the competition picking up three winners at Awapuni on Boxing Day.
The challenge series finishes after racing ends on January 2.
"My odds actually drifted from $20 to $25 after betting opened," Taylor said, but he didn't take a bet before the odds crashed.
- NZPA
