Sydney jockey Tim Clark has found himself back aboard Golden Rose winner Trapeze Artist who resumes for the Autumn in the Group 2 $200,000 Sydney Markets Limited Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Tim Clark will rideTrapeze Artist, above, in the 2018 Expressway Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Trapeze Artist has drawn barrier six in the eight horse Expressway Stakes field and trainer Gerald Ryan has called on the services of Clark after last campaign’s jockey Tye Angland elected to stick with Victoria Derby winner Ace High.
Clark has ridden Trapeze Artist on four occasions in the past which included a win in his two year old season in the 2017 Group 3 $300,000 Mercedes-Benz Canberra Black Opal Stakes (1200m) at Canberra.
Angland steered Trapeze Artist to an upset win in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill during the 2017 Sydney Spring Carnival but was also the regular rider for the David Payne trained Ace High with the pair combining for a win in the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on the first day of the 2017 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Ace High has drawn the rails in the small field but will probably find the 1200m too short first up but Payne wanted to kick off the High Chaparral’s colt campaign that could end up with another three year old classic win in the Group 1 $2m BMW Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on day one of The Championships.
“Saturday’s race will be too short for him over 1200 metres but he’s going so well he will hurt himself if he doesn’t start now,” Payne told AAP.
“The race will just take the edge off him and then we look to the longer races.
“Even though he only had four-and-a-half weeks out he has actually matured and is a bigger, stronger horse.”
Kerrin McEvoy takes over from Clark on the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Global Glamour (barrier 3) who will strip fitter following her first up sixth in the $1m Magic Millions Fillies and Mares (1300m) at the Gold Coast on January 13.
Bjorn Baker will saddle up two runners in the Expressway Stakes, with Blake Shinn to ride Goodfella (barrier 7) and Jason Collett takes the mount on Addictive Nature (barrier 2).
Goodfella is also returning from a Queensland Summer campaign that saw him finish third to Pierata in the Group 3 $200,000 Vo Rogue Plate (1350m) at Doomben on December 30 and was then runner up to the same colt in the $2m Magic Millions 3yo Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast on Magic Millions Race Day.
Apprentice Rachel King sticks with Memes from barrier four and the Jason Coyle trained mare will find this tougher after working her way up through the classes which included a last start win in the $100,000 Summer Sprint (1000m) at Randwick on January 20.
