Rolls rides back home
FORMER Gold Coast-based jockey Luke Rolls will make a flying visit back to Queensland for several rides at Aquis Park today.
Rolls moved from the Gold Coast to set up a new base at Port Macquarie 12 months ago but has taken the opportunity to return to the Sunshine State for today’s meeting.
Rolls warmed up for today’s meeting with a winning double on Certain Doubt and General Nelson at Ballina yesterday.
“I moved down there in January last year but I lived up there for about 15 years and still have a lot of connections there,” Rolls said.
Rolls will team up with top Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, who also has a base at the Gold Coast and has been booked for three of his runners.
“I used to do a lot of riding for him when he used to bring horses up to the Gold Coast when I was based up there,” Rolls said.
Rolls will ride the Leestrained Elgin in the Betty Doran Memorial Maiden Plate (2200m) and Mill City in the Stuart James Memorial BenchMark 75 Handicap (1800m), while the stewards will determine if he rides their stablemate Mr Piquet in the Heidi Meagher Tribute C, G & E Class 2 Handicap after being double-booked to ride the Lennie Wheeler-trained Remolad. Rolls will also be aboard first starter Sea Raider in the Doctor Glen McCabe Memorial QTIS 3yo Maiden Plate (1200m), Zymatic for Wheeler in the Peter Gallagher Memorial Class 1 Plate (1100m) and the Jon Walktrained Jessina in the Vince Fitzgibbons Memorial F&M Class 2 Handicap (1400m).
Elgin is trying to break through for his maiden win, stepping up to the 2200m for the first time and is coming off a last-start fifth in a 1600m Doomben midweek Maiden a week and a half ago, while Zymatic is resuming but had some handy form before a break. “If Elgin runs out the 2200m it will be hard to beat,” Rolls said.
“Zymatic, he is first up. He seemed to have not too bad a form last prep.
“It won a Maiden fairly easy and ran second in a BenchMark 65 so it should be all right.”
Rolls last rode at the Gold Coast on December 14.