When top New South Wales country jockey Greg Ryan makes a rare trip to town punters should sit up and take notice.
Ryan is back to ride prolific country winner Ideal Position looking for back to back Rosehill wins in the Listed $100,000 Riviana Foodservice Civic Stakes (1200m) after they scored a comfortable win in the 1400m Benchmark 80 Handicap on June 9.
New South Wales’ most winning jockey formed a huge opinion of the Jeff Brasch trained four year old when he won on him at Mudgee in early April and has stuck with him since.
“This horse is definitely up to the grade,” Ryan said.
“I haven’t ridden anything like him for a while, he’s better than average and one of those exceptional horses that starts off in the bush and can make it to this level.”
“Sometimes I’ll go down as a favour if I’ve been winning on a horse but not every time I go down I think I’m on a winning chance.”
Ryan had seen Ideal Position win his early races in the bush and immediately thought he was above average and are now looking for their fifth win together.
“I watched him win a couple of races last prep and he was always a really nice moving horse but a little fine in build,” Ryan said.
“I was lucky enough to pick up the ride at him first run from a spell and he drew a wide gate over six furlongs at Mudgee. I went back to last with 59kg on his back and nothing took me into it, I set sail around them and straight away I knew he was better than a bush horse.”
“He’s done a good job to come from a maiden at Gulgong last year to here.”
Ideal Position will find this tougher than his Rosehill win last start and Ryan is hoping to give him a similar run from barrier five.
Ryan has ridden over 2000 winners and is currently equal third on the Australian jockey’s premiership with Hugh Bowman on 127.5 wins for the season, behind Craig Newitt on 167 and Chris Munce on 149.
But a win on Saturday on Ideal Position in the Civic would be Ryan’s first Stakes race at Rosehill and his first since winning the Listed Blacktown Workers Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) on Pimpala Secret for trainer Marc Conners in April last year.
Ideal Position is well in the market at $6 not far behind the favourite Alberton Park at $4.60. The inform Famous Seamus is at $5 with the Chris Waller trained Tromso at $6.50.
