Racing: The two-horse race for top-jockey title

Target Audience ridden by Michael McNab winning at Cambridge on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied

Michael McNab finds himself in the unusual position of being both in front and behind in the race for the New Zealand jockey’s premiership.

Two-time defending champion McNab has been in a season-long battle for the honour of being our premier jockey, although the race has only looked truly competitive on a couple of occasions as rival Warren Kennedy has stretched to some huge leads.

The two have been the only realistic chances for the title for months and after a huge past six weeks, it was McNab’s turn to close again when he rode a double on the Cambridge synthetic track yesterday.

He reined impressive debutante juvenile Target Audience and Unequivocal to win while Kennedy went winless so the gap between the pair is now just one, Kennedy leading 118-117.

While Kennedy is still in front on the premiership table McNab is now the clear TAB bookies favourite into $1.65 compared with Kennedy’s $2.10, after the expat South African jockey had been as short as $1.05 a few weeks ago.

Both jockeys head to Riccarton today and Te Rapa on Saturday, the latter a truncated experience for them as there are only six flat races because of the four jumps events.

The huge market shift may initially look like an overreaction as Kennedy is tough and disciplined, but the bookies – like others – feel the momentum is with McNab after he trailed by 19 wins at one stage.

Their respective riding books for the next two meetings suggest McNab could end the weekend leading the premiership.

McNab has a far stronger book at Riccarton today, being on four favourites and is more favoured than Kennedy in every race except the last.

McNab also has three favourites from just six rides at Te Rapa on Saturday and is more favoured than Kennedy in all but one race again.

The pair will then not ride after that meeting until Pukekohe next Wednesday.

Their personal battle won’t be the only highlight at Te Rapa as the meeting has four jumps races including the Waikato Hurdle and Steeple, while the open-class sprint has attracted two speedsters good enough to compete at the highest level over the summer in Babylon Berlin and Johny Johny.

Aussie horse rises

Australian stallion Zoustar has been valued as one of the most expensive horses in the world by an online sale result yesterday.

A 1.6 per cent share in the great stallion sold for a staggering A$1.3 million in an online sale that ended yesterday afternoon.

The share, which was offered by part-owners Qatar Bloodstock, was snapped up by Bangaloe Stud.

The share entitles the buyer to one annual service to Zoustar as well as a small percentage of his annual profit from stud fees.

Standing for A$275,000, Zoustar covered 155 mares in 2023.

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.