By Chris Roots
Powerful English jockey James Doyle could prove the key to group 1 glory for Godolphin in the autumn as he is set to be announced as the replacement retained rider for the racing powerhouse in Australia.
Henry Plumptre, Godolphin's Australian general manager, will meet with chief executive John Ferguson in New Zealand this week and Doyle will be part of the conversation, as they look at stud properties.
Here to stay: James Doyle's strength will be a key asset for Godolphin during the autumn. Credit: bradleyphotos.com.au
Doyle will be here until the end of the autumn and could return for the spring after riding the summer features in England.
The sacking of James McDonald after his 18-month disqualification for betting, which he is appealing, opened the door for Doyle to come to Australia and he has quickly adapted to the different style.
He is striking at more than 30 per cent on Godolphin horses from limited opportunity and has been getting the feel of their star team, including Astern, Impending and Hartnell, which will all barrier trial this week.
His strength and his ability to stand over colts makes him a particularly valuable asset. His winning ride on Marsupial at Canterbury on Friday showed his growing confidence. He was caught in an awkward position but refused to panic, which is another example of how quickly he has established himself in the Sydney ranks.
It has to be remembered that Doyle flew in and ran fourth on Telperion in last year's Golden Slipper. He is already one of the strongest jockeys in a finish in Sydney and has that European knack of being a great judge of speed over a longer trip. He is going to quickly become sought-after by stables outside the boys in blue.
Top honours for Winx
Winx's unbeaten 2016 will be capped by her being honoured as the world's best mare and the world's best turf horse in London on Wednesday.
Chris Waller, Hugh Bowman and connections have been flown over for the awards. Winx has peaked at a rating of 130 for her Cox Plate romp in October, making her superior to any horse on turf, including impressive Japanese beast Maurice, which closed his career by winning the Hong Kong International Cup in December.
She has been shortlisted for the world's best horse award but her rating sits too far behind American duo Arrogate and California Chrome for her to get the main prize.
Plenty to sweat about
Hugh Bowman was not the only one sweating when he clocked off on Olympic Academy at Randwick on Saturday.
Chief steward Marc Van Gestel headed straight to the judge's box as they crossed the line, knowing Bowman had failed to ride out Olympic Academy in the final couple of strides.
"I wanted to see the photo for myself because if it didn't win he was in a lot of trouble," Van Gestel said. "It was a long minute or so. I was almost as relieved as Hugh, I think."
Olympic Academy had a margin on the line, not before or after it. It meant a fine for Bowman instead of at least two months on the sidelines.
It will be the most relieved Bowman will be handing over $600, for a misjudgment he won't make again, but former champion jockey Malcolm Johnston believes inflation hasn't hit the fines.
"I got fined $500 for not riding Kingston Town out in an Expressway Stakes when I won by a nose," Johnston said. "I still remember it. Tommy [Smith] told me to give him an easy run, I did and when I came back he called me an imbecile."
Riding high
Chris Waller and Brenton Avdulla had winning doubles again on Saturday, combining with Montauk, and the champion trainer gave an insight into his thinking about the premiership-leading jockey after that success.
"He is just riding with so much confidence and that counts," Waller said. "We used to be very big on backing the jockeys that [were] in form because they make a difference.
"We haven't been paying a lot attention to that lately but when someone is riding like Brenton you have to take notice."
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