Blake Shinn pushed through the effects of a lingering virus to extend his lead over Craig Williams in the race for Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership honours, bagging a treble at Sandown on Wednesday.
The in-form rider struck early, landing the first two races on the card and adding a mid-program success to move seven wins clear of Williams with just four metropolitan meetings left in the season.
Wednesday marked only Shinn’s third raceday back from the injury layoff that was originally expected to sideline him until season’s end. He resumed at Sandown last week, went close with a pair of seconds at Caulfield on Saturday, and converted that building momentum into wins this time around.
Shinn admitted he was under the weather after guiding the $2.35 betting site favourite Ad Vitam to victory in the Sportsbet Jockey Watch Plate (1400m), then backing it up by steering the $2.50 top elect Exit home in the Tobin Brothers Celebrating Lives Handicap (1300m).
He later completed the hat-trick aboard Kira ($6.50) in the Sportsbet Race Replays Handicap (1400m), while Williams went winless on the program.
“I’m fit, but I’m battling a virus, so I don’t feel the best,” Shinn said.
“I’ve come back from a hot climate in Singapore and Phuket to the winter here.
“I’ve picked up a bit of a bug, so I don’t feel the best at the moment and hopefully I will be able to shrug that off in the next week or so.
“I’m riding 56 kilos today, which is around my minimum, but I would like to be feeling a bit better than I am, but that’s part and parcel of the job and we keep turning up.”
The premiership duel remains friendly but fierce. Williams is chasing a tenth title; Shinn is hunting number four.
“I’ve been back a week now, and it was going to take a bit of time building the rides back up, but I knew I would be strong at the back-end of the season,” Shinn said.
“It’s a good battle. We all love Craig and what he does for the industry.
“He’s a legendary jockey and good for the sport, but it’s going to go down to the wire, and my focus is one meeting at a time and concentrating on the job at hand.”
The title race shifts to Flemington on Saturday, where Shinn is booked for seven of the nine races, while Williams holds eight engagements.
Shinn has a healthy opinion of lightly raced Ad Vitam, trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, after the gelding’s maiden breakthrough at start two.
“The benefit of that first start at Sale helped him,” Shinn said.
“He was good in the gates and jumped better. He hadn’t shown any tactical speed in his jump-outs, and I expected him to be back, but he got into a nice position, blended into the dip well, and quickened like a decent horse.
“I like the way he finished that race off. Mentally he’s still six months away but he’s got a good engine there.”
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