Jockey to take a lead
ANDREW Parramore won’t need to give apprentice jockey Olivia Pickering any instructions when she rides Steppin’ Out today at Murwillumbah.
It will be simple for her in the Benchmark 58 Handicap (2000m) – lead and try to hold on to the line.
“He’s a bit one dimensional and he’ll just roll along out in front. He doesn’t have a great turn of foot so we let him do his own thing and he gets his day in the sun every now and then,” Parramore said.
“Murwillumbah’s an onpace track and he makes his own luck by putting himself there and he’ll give them something to chase.
“It’s not like he stops in his races, he just doesn’t get any quicker. He’ll keep whacking away.”
The five-year-old is coming off a fifth placing at Grafton over 2380m when he led and faded late but Parramore said he had genuine excuses and can bounce back today.
“He had a little bit of a gap between runs leading up to his last start after we copped a bit of wet weather and couldn’t race,” Parramore said.
“He went from 1900m to 2380m and it was just a bridge too far but he’s on a bit of a backup and I’ve put an apprentice on him to claim and hopefully run a bit of a cheeky race.”
The fact he’s a stayer and by the speedy Snippetson is a little unusual also, but Parramore is more concerned about his prerace manners.
He just wants to see him relaxed before he heads out to the track.
“It’s a funny thing but he’s a big, long lanky type who looks like a stayer but being by Snippetson, it’s not something you’d expect,” Parramore said.
“He’s a straightforward horse who always comes home and eats his tucker.”