Sargent goes for the best

TRAINER John Sargent’s hopes of winning another feature three-year-old fillies race have been boosted with premier Brisbane jockey Jeff Lloyd’s booking for Tinkermosa on Saturday.

Tinkermosa can give Sargent his second Queensland Oaks and his fourth Oaks in Australia at Doomben.

Sargent won the 2012 Queensland Oaks with Quintessential, the 2013 VRC Oaks with Kirramosa and the 2015 Australian Oaks with Gust Of Wind, the last horse to beat the champion Winx.

Sargent is regarded as an outstanding trainer having won premierships in his native New Zealand and Malaysia.

But his speciality is staying races and Tinkermosa is an example of why.

The filly is typical of Sargent’s horses going into big races – battle hardened and fit.

Lloyd was expected to ride one of Chris Waller’s runners in the Queensland Oaks (2200M) but when the Sydney trainer made some changes Sargent was quick to pounce.

“You have to get the best local jockey when you can,” Sargent said of Lloyd.

“He rode a treble last Saturday and knows exactly how to ride Doomben.”

He believes Tinkermosa, a $16 chance with Ladbrokes yesterday, is up to the level of his previous Oaks winners and will be hard to beat in the Group 1 race on Saturday.