Jett Stanley plans to toast his career-best result with a journey by air to Sydney.
He piloted American Wolf, prepared by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, to an edge-of-the-seat triumph in Monday’s Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) held at Morphettville.
Revelry is paused though, as the jockey flies to Sydney evening-bound to make Warwick Farm by Tuesday for Jenni The Fox’s gallop ahead of Saturday’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill.
Up until Monday, the jockey’s standout win was the Group 3 Launceston Cup with Asva on February 25.
Stanley’s recent schedule saw him at Murray Bridge Saturday, Stony Creek Sunday back in Victoria, then Adelaide for Morphettville Monday.
“It’s been a whirlwind the last 12 days,” Stanley told racing.com.
“I’ve travelled 18,000 kilometres in two weeks. It’s been crazy.
I’m on a flight to Sydney tonight to ride trackwork in the morning for Tony Ottobre and Ciaron Maher and I’m riding Jenni The Fox in the Coolmore Classic on Saturday.
I’ve done a Group 3, a Group 2, so hopefully I can do a Group 1 now.”
A $21 shot, American Wolf withstood $4.80 market leader Highland Bling by a nose, as Hurry Curry at $9 trailed by 5-¾ lengths for third.
Stanley fell off American Wolf at the finish and awaited ambulance confirmation of victory.
Opting out of a lift, he dashed back waving to the audience.
“The ambos asked if I was OK, and I said, ‘tell me the result of the photo and I’ll tell you how I’m feeling’,” Stanley said.
“One of the ambos said American Wolf and I said yeah and they said, ‘you’ve won’.
I started running after that and the limp went away pretty quick.
To do it for Trent and Nat is very special. They have been friends since the day I was born.”
The gelding took the Listed VRC St Leger (2800m) at Flemington in April the previous year and was geared towards Monday by Busuttin and Young.
Rating issues threatened his participation.
“This was always the horse’s Grand Final,” Young said.
“We were a little worried we weren’t going to get into the race with his rating.
It was the sixth start (of his preparation) today, but Jett rode him a treat. He relaxed nicely and that is what he needed.
Jett is coming along in leaps and bounds and he’s turning into such a great jockey.
I’ve known him since he was a baby and I’m absolutely over the moon.”
Future plans for American Wolf this time in were unclear for Young.
“He’s still dappled. He looks great, we’ll get him home and weigh it up,” Young said.
“If he does go anywhere after this, we’ll give him three or four weeks to get over it, especially with the trip over and being his sixth run, we need to look after him a little bit.”
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