As a former champion jumps jockey, trainer Brett Scott knows a good rider when he sees one and is more than happy to have apprentice Michael Dee aboard Coronation Shallan in the Winter Championship Final.
Coronation Shallan booked her place in Saturday’s $150,000 Listed race at Flemington with victory in a heat of the series at Ballarat on July 1.
Scott has yet to win a stakes race as a trainer while New Zealander Dee will stick with the mare in his quest for Australian black type.
“Michael has only had a couple of rides for me but I sort of picked him out fairly early. He’s a potential star in the making I think,” Scott said.
“He’s just got all the attributes for a really good jockey. For an apprentice he rides with an older head and he’s got the skills to go with it.
“I was happy to put him on in a non-claiming race at Ballarat and I’m happy to have him on tomorrow.
“We have the minimum of 54 kilos which he rides comfortably and a lot of the seniors at this time of the year don’t really do 54 that well.”
A spinal injury ended Scott’s riding career five years ago and he has been training for the past three years.
His outstanding career in the saddle included three Nakayama Grand Jumps in Japan on Karasi and most of Australia’s biggest jumps races.
Coronation Shallan’s third in a Listed race last year is Scott’s best stakes result so far.
“I’ve won a couple of South Australian Grand National Hurdles and several metropolitan races but she’s been my best horse to date,” Scott said.
Scott says the mare is in great order and rates her an each-way chance after her narrow Ballarat win but she has to contend with barrier 16.
“It was an overdue win the other day because she had been knocking on the door for a few runs without being able to get over the line in front,” Scott said.
“Obviously it’s not going to be easy from the wide barrier. It just depends how the track is playing at that time of the day too.
“With the forecast of rain, a wide gate might not be such a bad thing by the second last race.”
Article from justhorseracing.com.au
