Declan Bates is starting to hit his stride at the age of 36!

Bates has had four Group 1 winners so far in his career. Three of those came last season on Pride Of Jenni which ended a long wait for him. His first came on Begood Toya Mother back in 2019 and having started this season in flying form, his fifth may well be just around the corner.

Bates started in Ireland riding National Hunt horses

At the start of his career, Bates would ride over jumps in Ireland, winning 40 races there with 23 over hurdles, 16 in a chase and one in what is colloquially known as a bumper, a flat race to educate future jump horses.

After that Bates would move to England and start riding on the flat. There were more than 40 further winners for him there. From 2013 to 2015, he would ride 17, 13 and then 12 winners. The majority of those were with Welsh trainer David Evans who gave him 27.

Bates wouldn’t move full time to Australia until the 2015/16 season having made a couple of prior visits. In those two he would only pick up three rides in total but he made enough connections and got some jump out experience that enabled him to hit the ground running.

Pride of Jenni is the Memsie favourite

After three jump outs, Pride Of Jenni is ready to start her season in the Memsie on August 31. She is the current favourite for the 1600m contest at Caulfield. The 2023 race was won by Mr Brightside who looks like lining up to be her biggest opponent in a week and a half.

The pair met on five occasions last season, Jenni winning four of them, including all three times that they clashed in the autumn. First-up for the pair of them in the Memsie is going to be a test of just how ready they are for the season ahead. 

It looks like being a race to savour whatever happens with two of the top milers in the country doing battle. We look forward to unpicking that in our Saturday tips a week from now. 

Four-timer at Ballarat on Tuesday for Bates

Bates had six rides at Ballarat on Tuesday afternoon. He would ride four winners in the first four races of the day! His other two mounts were third and fourth later on the card. The four winners were for four different trainers, a wide range of opportunities coming Bates’ way.

His opening winner was on a $3.00 Tamala Rose for Ciaron Maher who broke her maiden at the second time of asking. Winner two was the widest margin saluter of the four. Fluent ran riot in a 1000m event by 3.5 lengths for the Andrew Noblet stable.

A roughie formed the third leg of the four timer as King Sirius passed the post first at $11.00. He was the first winner of the new season for the training duo of Leon and Troy Corstens. Ruminate would round out the afternoon in a BM64 for Matt Cumani, the shortest price ride on the day for Bates at $2.35.

Declan Bates has always been a hard working jockey and now that hard work is starting to pay off for him. The prime ride on Pride Of Jenni should see him add to his Group 1 winning tally this season.