Racing: Ormsby ready to take centre stage

Matamata jumps jockey Patrick Ormsby. Photo / Christine Cornege

Matamata jumps jockey Patrick Ormsby is not too bothered at being mistaken for Chad Ormsby's younger brother.

His older cousin, a recent winner of the Queensland Cup aboard Tinseltown, has been a massive influence on the burgeoning career of the former amateur.

Support and advice from Australia-based Chad has helped boost the lesser-known Ormsby to a career-best nine wins this season in just his second full year as a pro.

Ormsby, however, gets arguably his best chance yet to step out of the shadow of his more illustrious relation at Paeroa today.

He's back aboard his favourite chaser Myths And Legends in the feature, the $15,000 Lion Red Inter-Island Steeplechase.

The Mark Brooks-trained gelding and Daniel Stackhouse finished a gallant second to Floor Play in the same race last year.

Ormsby, chasing his first open success, is confident the course specialist can go one better in leg three of the $40,000 Pick6 and first leg of a $10,000 bonus-boosted Quaddie.

Myths And Legends looked a big chance to win the Wellington Steeplechase for Ormsby in their last outing before a costly blunder 600m out.

The sparingly-tried chaser was entitled to drop out after that but amazingly he rallied again in the worst of the going to finish just a long neck behind third-placed Climbing High.

"He should be pretty hard to beat at Paeroa," said Ormsby, who came within a head of winning the Wellington Hurdles aboard Seeking The Silver on the same Trentham card.

"He blew a bit after his last run and the drop back in distance at Paeroa will really fall into his lap."

Myths And Legends, who won his maiden chase at Paeroa three years ago, is back to his preferred 4000m trip and ideally placed at the weights.

With Ormsby's 1.5kg claim, the 8-year-old meets likely favourite Climbing High 1.5kg better off than in their Trentham clash.

Of his other three mounts today, Ormsby rates Smoke the best hope in leg two of Pick6, the maiden 4000m chase.

Ormsby would love to square the ledger aboard the Peter Brosnan-trained 9-year-old.

The last time they paired, in July last year at Te Rapa, Ormsby took the wrong route, charging ahead on the course proper instead of turning into the centre track.

"I definitely won't be going the wrong way was this time," promised Ormsby.

"If he does everything right he's a chance; he's definitely got the ability.

"He wasn't going too badly until he fell last start - he looked like he was running into it really good."

The Graham Richardson-trained pair of Andi Black (leg one) and Princessabeel (leg six) look two of the best short-cuts to a share of the Pick6, which does not appear too hard.

The latter, especially, appears well placed after her effortless last-start win in the same grade over a similar trip at Te Teko on June 29.