Push for renewed jockey trust
Trainer Rodney Northam will have a hard time playing down the hype if boom galloper Palazzo Prince can repeat his dazzling Scone win out at Dubbo on Monday.
Northam’s four-year-old was the talk of the Hunter Valley ahead of his much anticipated debut on an 1100m Maiden at Scone on January 21.
So much so, that punters eagerly snapped up the $1.70 on offer, slashing his price to $1.40 by post time.
The result was never in doubt, the three-quarterlength winning margin in no way reflective of his domiMatt nance. “It was a nice win,’’ Northam said. “He covered a bit of ground, he probably loafed a little bit up the straight but I told Reece (Jones) not to knock him around too much if he could help it.
“He is going away from home on Monday so it is another new experience for him. The owners are from Dubbo so they were keen for him to run out there and it looks a nice stepping stone for him to go from an 1100m to a 1200m Class 1.
“It is always hard to go from maidens to Class 1s and it looks a strong Class 1 too because there are quite a few there that are last-start winners, but he is a nice horse and this is another step in his career.’’
Long term, there are plenty of options on the table for the son of Exosphere, including a Highway and even the Country Championships.
“If he won and won well on Monday, we’d look at a Highway but we just want to win first and we’ll figure out where we go,’’ says Northam. “I think even if he won at Dubbo and then won a Highway, his benchmark still wouldn’t be enough for the Hunter-NorthWest Qualifier.
“It would be nice if we could take him to something like that but then again, that would be his fourth run in his first prep and I don’t really want to knock him around just for the sake of a Country Championships.”
Joining Palazzo Prince on the float from Scone on Monday are first-starter Plonk and first-up’er Himorher. Plonk is all the rage in pre-post betting, after an eye-catching third to Damon’s colt their January 21 trial.
“We drew wide and we wanted to teach Plonk a little bit on the trial,’’ Northam said.
“She actually began quite well and then Chelsea (Hillier) asked her to come back under her and she did that nicely and quickened up nicely.
“Being an Adelaide filly, she probably wants a little bit of ground but 1200m will just give her a chance to find her feet and balance-up and hit the line.’’
Northam and Hillier’s three chances to win on Monday begin in the opener where the hulking mare Himorher resumes off a spectacular trial win at Muswellbrook.
Dale in
The Queensland Jockeys’ Association believes it can be a “recipe for disaster” not having a trust fund or holding account system for apprentice jockeys in the Sunshine State.
Unlike most other jurisdictions, there is no structure in place in Queensland to withhold money earned by apprentice jockeys after they have turned 18. There used to be a trust fund system but it was abandoned at a point where there was a growing number of mature age apprentices.
The issue has become a talking point in recent times, including in the case of star apprentice Bailey Wheeler.
Wheeler has now twice been stood down by his master, Group 1 winning trainer Annabel Neasham who operates a satellite stable in Brisbane. After the first standdown, Wheeler, by his own admission, conceded he was too focused on partying and going out for drinks with his mates than he was on his racing career.
Irrespective of the Wheeler case, QJA boss Glen Prentice is pushing for change to the structure of the pay system for junior riders in Queensland.
“Apprentice jockeys are not like apprentices in other industries, they have the opportunity to earn $1000$10,000 a week,” Prentice told Racenet. “Letting someone loose with that sort of money when they are at that young age, it can be a recipe for disaster. We would love to see a trust fund system in place.
“Queensland is currently unlike any other state, the money of apprentice jockeys is not held in a trust or holding account. A long time ago, Queensland had a spate of mature age apprentice jockeys and quite few of them were married with kids.
“They said they couldn’t live on their wages under the trust fund set-up, so it was basically abolished.”