NEW RIDER NO STRANGER TO FOUR PILLARS FAVORITE
Whilst the talented young jockey hasn’t ridden Alabama State in a race, the gelding’s Hawkesbury trainer Jack Pilkington has revealed she isn’t a stranger to him.
“Jett’s father Mitch was a champion apprentice and then trained at Hawkesbury, and she started her apprenticeship here with Claire Lever,” he said today.
“We are stabled beside each other, and Jett led a gallop on another horse one morning with Alabama State.
“She certainly knows my horse.”
Pilkington also is not in the slightest concerned that Newman has not had any race experience on Alabama State.
“Jett has been managed carefully, and is going to be a leading apprentice once she begins to focus more on Sydney racing.
“I booked her five weeks ago to ride Alabama State as I knew he was going to get plenty of weight.”
In fact, more weight than Pilkington had bargained on when he did make the booking.
Alabama State, with Tommy Berry aboard, subsequently won a Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1400m) with 60kg at Rosehill Gardens on October 10.
That resulted in his benchmark rating going up five points to 77, meaning he was weighted on 64kg for the Four Pillars (a Midway Benchmark 68 Handicap).
Newman (who has already tallied 128 winners in the first 20 months of her career) claims 3kg, lessening Alabama State’s burden to 61kg; 1kg more than he carried in his last start triumph.
“Alabama State is not a complicated horse,” Pilkington said.
“He has had a lot of different riders, so I’m not bothered about Jett partnering him tomorrow.”
Pilkington has kept five-times winner Alabama State ticking over in the three weeks since scoring at Rosehill, and is very happy with him.
“I didn’t need to trial him in between,” he said.
“He has had one strong gallop, and is very fit.”
Pilkington’s five-year-old this morning headed markets at $6 with TAB.com.au for the $500,000 Four Pillars (1500m).
Three others horses – Wyong stablemates Dusty Bay ($7) and Cuban Cigar ($8), along with Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer’s Just In Time ($8) – were under double figures.
Pilkington’s fellow Hawkesbury trainers Marc Chevalier and Jason Attard also have Four Pillars acceptors.
Chevalier runs smart mare Stand My Ground (Tyler Schiller) first-up, whilst Attard’s Cryptonic (Tom Sherry) is third emergency and not yet assured of a start.
