Saturday Round-up: Lloyd and Brown dominate the city meetings

Even though we are in the final weeks of the season with no more Group 1 racing to enjoy, there was still some quality action on Saturday with the younger jockeys all out to make names for themselves. 

Zac Lloyd dominates Randwick with four wins

Lloyd’s afternoon continued his emergence as one of the top young jockeys in the country. Tamerlane showed Lloyd to his absolute best, able to get the £21 roughie home in a Listed contest. Always in the right place tracking the pace set by Iknowastar, he eased to the front late on.

Perhaps the most interesting one of the four winners was Clear Thinking who extended the unbeaten start to her career to three. In her prior pair, she had been ridden close to the speed, sitting a lot further back on this occasion but getting her head in front where it matters. 

She was rated 68 prior to today but it is more than likely that she is going to be a lot better than that come the spring when she will have some black-type plans in her campaign. All three of those wins have come on ground that has been soft or heavy so it will be interesting to see how she goes on good ground.

Lloyd’s other two winners came on the two-year-old Brave One in the opening race of the day and on Shezanalister in a fillies and mares handicap. The second of those was for the Bjorn Baker team, a race before he got Tamerlane up late on to deny the same connections. Iknowastar. 

Ethan Brown salutes three times at Flemington

Brown would have been quietly confident heading to headquarters this afternoon with a strong book of five rides. Berkshire Breeze was an easy start to his afternoon, saluting at $1.30 in the second race on the card.

Jenni’s Meadow was the middle leg of Brown’s treble, leading home a one-two for the Lindsay Park team, beating a slightly shorter-priced stablemate Sneaky Sunrise. The pair both look like excellent recruits for next season when they should do better after they turn three. 

The final leg was on Steel Run who landed the 2500m contest in the style of a potential cup horse for the spring. He has only had four starts in his life, doing well for the step up to a new distance. While that only came from a rating of 66, he shapes as if he is capable of much better to come.

Gawler sees Toeroek win three races

On a smaller scale away from the city action, Jake Toeroek was another hoop to get in on the action with a treble at Gawler. Toeroek only had five mounts on the afternoon with all of them looking to have a strong chance beforehand. They were his first rides since June 10, making a winning return to the saddle.

All three of his winners were for Richard and Chantelle Jolly, the team for whom he rides the most, now one away from a half-century as a combination for the season. Six Stars won the opening race by a comfortable two lengths before Hard Prince had to work much harder in race four. Klabel finished the afternoon off in style in the sixth contest for the team.

These young hoops make the future of racing very bright. We have seen a number of the elder statesmen in the jockey’s room retire this year, most notably Damian Oliver and Brett Prebble so the continued progression of the youth shows the sport in safe hands.