FINALLY, A SHOT AT THE COVETED CUP
Star jockey Jordsjo all smiles ahead of annual classic
ADELAIDE jockey Anna Jordsjo will head north for her Darwin debut tomorrow – which just so happens to be the biggest day of Territory racing – as she goes after a coveted $100,000 Great Northern Darwin Cup (2050m) crown.
Jordsjo has spent the past 12 months apprenticed to Michael Hickmott, a three-time Darwin Cup-winning trainer and someone who she regards as the game-changer in her career. Now the young hoop will come to the Top End chasing her own luck in the annual long-distance classic, linking up with the Dick Leech-trained Safety Dance, who drew barrier 12.
“I’ve always wanted to come up for the Darwin Cup as my boss Michael Hickmott can’t speak highly enough about the event,” Jordsjo told the Sunday Territorian.
“I only picked up Safety Dance a couple of days ago, but he’s done well in the mile recently and this will be his first try at the distance, and I’m hopeful he can go well over this length.
“If he can get some good travel time then he can be a chance.
“It would mean a lot to me to come up and win. I would be absolutely over the moon about that.”
Jordsjo will be busy throughout the day, racing in six of the 12 Cup Day races, including Nicole Bruggemann’s Swankytoff in race 11 and Norm Bracken’s Clever Tommy in the $70,000 bet365 Palmerston Sprint (1200m). “I really like Clever Tommy and he has shown some pretty good form winning two starts back. If he puts in the same effort again he should be amongst the action,” Jordsjo said.
The 24-year-old has a number of successes in her fledgling career, boasting 119 wins already.
One of the biggest thrills was riding Gordon Richards’ Gytrash to two victories prior to the four-year-old’s Group One win earlier this year.
“That has to be one of my biggest thrills, particularly as Gordon always likes to remind me that I’m the only jockey to ride him to two wins,” Jordsjo said.
“I’ve loved riding with Michael for the past 12 months. He’s been the game-changer in my career and has really set me up going forward.
“Now I’ll be looking to continue working into the senior ranks and maintain the strong support and connections I have with the Adelaide trainers.”