By Michael Lynch
When your father won the Caulfield and Melbourne cups by the time he was 22 and landed a Victorian Jockey Premiership before he had turned 30, you know you might be on a hiding to nothing when you follow him into your chosen profession.
Lachlan King, the 18-year-old son of former champion rider Steven King – who won the cups double on the mighty mare Let's Elope back in 1991 – knew he would have big shoes to fill and that at some stage in his career, comparisons would be made.
Super Rockstar, ridden by Lachlan King, wins the J&M; Chaser Bins BM58 Handicap at Kerang.Credit: Racing.com/Supplied
But now he's about to do something that even his famous father didn't manage – fly the Australian flag in France.
The young jockey has been given the chance to burst into the big time, at least temporarily, in June, when he will travel to Chantilly, the beautiful track in the suburbs of Paris.
Lachlan King will represent Australia at the Longines Prix Future Racing Stars apprentice race in Chantilly.Credit: Racing.com
Racing Victoria (RV) has plumped for him to represent Australia at the Longines Prix Future Racing Stars apprentice race in Chantilly, a 1600-metre handicap race, on Saturday, June 17. The race is on the support card to the €1 million ($1.5 million) Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) for three-year-old fillies the following day.
King jnr is following a path taken by several talented young predecessors, including current overall Jockey Premiership ladder leader Beau Mertens, and Tahlia Hope, Jessica Payne, and former champion apprentice rider Patrick Moloney.
He will ride alongside apprentices from South Africa, the US, Japan, Turkey, Morocco, England, Ireland, Germany and the host country, France.
"For me, it's a pretty special feeling," King said. "To experience a different culture and compete with apprentices from all over the world – it's a very special honour.
"No doubt this will be a turning point in my career and it'll be something I'll be proud to add to my resumé."
So far the teenager has been brought along quietly, learning his trade at Victoria's country and provincial tracks, steadily gaining experience in the rough and tumble of race riding.
King has ridden 35 winners from a total of 325 rides in his short career, according to statistics from industry website racing.com. He has yet to make an appearance on a city track.
Having such an accomplished father brings its problems in terms of expectations perhaps being higher than for others.
But it also has its advantages: what better way to be initiated in an often unforgiving and highly pressurised industry than by a man who was so skilful in the saddle at such a young age, a rider who was able to cope with the pressure and weight of expectation associated with riding a Melbourne Cup favourite when he had barely come out of his own apprenticeship.
That is one reason King jnr has kept a low profile, securing an apprenticeship with renowned horseman Gerald Egan, the Mansfield-based trainer who has educated a number of leading riders in the early stages of their career, including dual Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Nick Hall and Black Caviar's jockey Luke Nolen.
"To be honest with you, I never thought I would have ridden 35 [winners] by now, but racing is a funny sport; one day you have no luck and then the next, you're having lots," said King.