By MIKE DILLON
It will be nothing new if one of the Australians - Brett Prebble, Rhys McLeod or Greg Childs - wins tomorrow's $750,000 Kelt Stakes.
A year ago Brisbane apprentice Michael Rodd rode a superb race to land Prized Gem the Kelt winner.
McLeod has ridden in New Zealand several times; the last time he was engaged by Cambridge trainer Brian Jenkins to ride 3-year-old Earl at Ellerslie late last year.
Prebble, who rides last year's Derby winner St Reims, has finished in the top group in the Victorian Jockeys' Premiership in recent years.
McLeod is on Melbourne-based Penny Gem and Childs will be reunited with Hail.
For the past six months, McLeod, 20, has been doing a fair bit of stable riding for Penny Gem's trainer Mike Moroney in Australia.
He sees the step-up in distance to 2040m as a big plus for Penny Gem, who can really storm home late in her races when in top form.
"The 1600m would have been too sharp for her and this will be better," said McLeod.
The three Melbourne-based riders will not miss a major Saturday race meeting in their home town because it hosts the AFL Grand Final tomorrow.
Because of that there will be only a provincial racemeeting at Mornington.
Travel arrangements mean the trio will be prevented from riding at Moonee Valley tonight, for which Childs had been reluctant to give up his ride on well-fancied Happy Strike in the A$100,000 Bill Stutt Stakes.
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