Racing: Ride on Derby tip could be elusive

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However badly you slept last night you rested more peacefully than Sydney-based former Pukekohe jockey Jason Collett.

Collett probably lost himself the ride on Elusive Runner in the A$500,000 Queensland Derby when he cost the talented 3-year-old victory at Randwick on Saturday.

Just as he was poised to run past the leaders in the home straight, Collett lost control of his reins and the John Sargent-trained Elusive Runner lost momentum before picking up again and charging into second.

Collett was taken to the stewards' room where chief stipe Ray Murrihy told him the blunder was unacceptable at the top level.

"Do we have to send you back to apprentice school?" Murrihy asked Collett. "That was terribly untidy. It could have been the difference between winning and losing had you kept at him."

There was no "could have made the difference" in Collett's mind - he knew he'd cost the horse the race, openly admitting his blunder.

"I dropped the reins," he said.

John Sargent told the Herald from Sydney yesterday that the horse's Asian owners were having a meeting in Macau last night to decide on a rider for the Derby on Saturday week.

"There are three or four top riders in the running," said Sargent yesterday. Jason Collett went on to ride two winners on the Randwick programme, but was disconsolate after the last race.

"It [the winning double] doesn't really make up for it because I might have lost the ride in the Derby.

"I don't want to give them any opportunity to take me off ahead of the Queensland Derby. It is disappointing but we move on, he should have won."

Elusive Runner also lost a shoe in the incident.

"I was lucky because the bloke that does my stable work was actually on duty as the course blacksmith yesterday," said Sargent. "He put the shoe straight back on and the horse looks to be fine this morning."

Two weeks ago, Elusive Runner was $21 for the Derby and yesterday he firmed into $5.50 equal third favourite with Pinstripe Lane behind Vilanova ($4.50) and Arabian Gold on $5.

Collett's worrying last night mirrored the feelings of Ruakaka trainer Donna Logan after Telepathic's energy-draining three-wide run in Saturday's A$150,000 Grand Prix at Doomben.

"It was gut-wrenching watching that," said Logan from Brisbane last night.

The last thing she wanted was for Telepathic to have a hard race in advance of the A$500,000 Queensland Derby on Saturday week.

From a wide barrier, Telepathic went forward in search of a position just in front of mid-field, but Mark du Plessis could not get the filly in from the three-wide position and remained wide for the entire race.

The filly made a dab early in the run home, but weakened and looked very tired on the line.

"Surprisingly, she looked very bright this morning and dragged me to her paddock, so we might have been lucky that the run hasn't flattened her.

"She's got quite a strong constitution."