TITLE HOPES HIT
Injured apprentice in nervous wait on riding award
RACING: Toowoomba’s Baylee Nothdurft will fight out one of his most tense race finishes from the sideline as he looks to wrap up Queensland’s top provincial apprentice jockey title.
Nothdurft was an odds-on favourite to win this season’s award after posting 50 wins in a stop-start racing year for the 19-year-old which included a three-month suspension.
But a pre-race tumble at the Gold Coast last Saturday left Nothdurft with a broken wrist and an early end to the season as he waits to learn if his injury requires surgery.
With two weeks of this year’s premiership remaining, Nothdurft holds a six-win lead over second-placed Jackson Murphy for leading apprentice honours and now faces an anxious wait on whether his lead is good enough to see him home.
Nothdurft is assured of finishing leading Clifford Park apprentice for the year but fears he might miss his shot at the prestigious Queensland title victory.
“He’s really shattered by what’s happened,” Nothdurft’s manager Kylie Nolan said.
“He is so disappointed that he might have let the title slip so close to the end of what’s really been an up-and-down season for him.
“All Baylee can do now is hope he has enough wins on the board and watch what Jackson can do over the next couple of weeks.
“He’s very anxious about winning the title.
“Baylee will find out this week what the longer-term news is on his injury but if he can avoid surgery he hopes to be back in six-to-eight weeks.”