Maskiell’s Caulfield return
TASMANIAN jockey Jason Maskiell makes his return to race riding in Victoria tomorrow when he takes the sit aboard the Nigel Schuuring-trained Willby Rules in a benchmark race at Caulfield.
Maskiell returned to the saddle after almost four years on the sidelines through a disqualification over drug use.
After a long rehabilitation process the talented young rider has overcome his addiction and was given the all-clear by stewards to resume race riding at the start of this season.
From nine meetings he has ridden 10 winners and sits two wins clear at the top of the local jockeys’ premiership table.
When Maskiell started riding in Victoria he quickly as- sumed the role of leading apprentice and he became a much sought after commodity with leading trainers before his fall from grace in 2013.
“I’ve always said I want to go back to Victoria to ride because I have a point to prove over there and this ride at Caulfield on Sunday is a very small step towards that goal,” Maskiell said.
“I set myself a goal of riding 10 winners in Tasmania in the first three months and I’ve already achieved that with a bit to go, but I’m just taking things step by step.
“Nigel Schuuring has been great to me while I was making my way back to riding and it’s great that it is one of his horses that I’m riding at my first meeting back as a jockey in Victoria.”
Willby Rules has won his past four starts with Maskiell aboard so the gelding takes very good form into the benchmark 78 event over 1400m.
“It’s always very hard to line up the form in Victoria at this level, but the horse is very fit and he has been working well while he’s been in Victoria preparing for this race.”
To add to the Tasmanian flavour at the meeting premier Tasmanian trainer Scott Brunton will saddle up Count Da Vinci in a handicap over 1700m.
This will be the horse’s lead- up to the Cranbourne Cup in three weeks.
Stablemate Hellova Street will contest the last race on the nine-event card, an open handicap over 1400m. Hellova Street is the reigning Tasmanian horse of the year and this looks an ideal assignment for the dual Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap winner.
It is a big weekend for Tasmanian gallopers with the Troy Blacker-trained Settler’s Stone to contest the $120,000 Ansett Cup (2430m) at Mornington as he returns to the venue where he finished third in the Mornington Cup (2400m) in March.
With just a field of seven with which to contend, the Savoir Vivre gelding gets his chance to finally win a race interstate.