Pointing the way for Dye
ONE OF the world’s great jockeys from the past 30 years, Shane Dye, rode another winner on the comeback trail when he guided ultraconsistent Made My Point to a deserved win in the $ 25,000 Mondiale Handicap at Pukekohe yesterday.
‘‘I knew I had some nice rides today and thought he was the best of them so it was great to get him home,’’ Dye said.
‘‘I can feel my fitness is improving every raceday and that showed today – because he hit the front some way out from home,’’ Dye said.
‘‘It has been a case of getting my rhythm back and that has been happening with every ride,’’ he said.
‘‘I have got no-one rushing me, I’m doing it all in my own time which feels good,’’ he said. ‘‘ I always knew it would take time but it’s all starting to come together and I’ve been shedding the kilos every week.’’
Dye, 46, rode his first winner in two-and-a-half years at New Plymouth last month after deciding to make his comeback to the saddle.
‘‘I never retired. My intention was always to make a comeback one day. I had been riding for 30 years and just needed a break from it all.’’
Dye, winner of 93 Group I races, was the dominant big-race rider in Australia for nearly 20 years and won all the majors including the Melbourne Cup (Tawrrific 1989), Cox Plate (Octagonal 1995) and a record-equalling four Golden Slippers before accepting a lucrative riding contract in Hong Kong in 2000.
Made My Point, trained by John Sargent at Matamata, had been placed in his previous five starts this campaign, including a laststart second in the Stratford Cup, so his win was well and truly overdue.
Yesterday’s 1600m race win was the seventh of Made My Point’s career. At the winning post the Pins seven- year- old gelding had three-quarters of a length to spare over topweight Alegrio.
THE GRAEME AND MARK Sanders- trained mare Bouvier appreciated the drop in class to regain winning form in the Mondiale 2100. Bouvier was outclassed at her last start in the Dunstan Feeds Championship Final at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. However, the four-year-old found yesterday’s field a much easier task and romped home by six-and-ahalf lengths.
PROMISING apprentice Erin Leighton scored an upset win aboard Pukekohe- trained twoyear-old Celtic Boy in the juvenile event. It was the first raceday start for 28-to-one shot Celtic Boy, who is trained by Eamonn Green.