‘It’s now or never’: Maloney to call Sydney home for the spring
By Chris Roots
Ryan Maloney was the first jockey to sit on Nature Strip and has always had the talent to match it with the best; now Sydney awaits as the toughest proving ground of all in a career that has taken him from Melbourne to Brisbane with a few ups and downs along the way.
Maloney has ridden some the best horses in the country and sat on Nature Strip when Robert Smerdon had the star before the Aquanita operation was shut down because of systematic doping.
That led him to dark places and eventually a four-month suspension after he failed a drug test in Melbourne in early 2018.
Ryan Maloney returns to scale after winning the Surround Stakes on Sunshine In Paris.Credit: Getty
He went to Brisbane for a fresh start and five years on has won a premiership. Last autumn came to Sydney with success, highlighted by winning the Surround Stakes on Sunshine In Paris.
That left Maloney with a decision to make this spring.
“I had been flying in and out from Brisbane in the autumn, and that is so hard because you never get into a rhythm,” Maloney said. “You are counting on support but not here doing the work.
“I said to [wife] Shaylee, ‘it’s now or never’.”
Maloney decided he would make Sydney his home for the next three months, leaving his family behind in Queensland. He has the support of some of the bigger stables, including Annabel Neasham and the Snowdens, who he won the Doomben Cup for on Huetor during the Brisbane winter.
“It is easier to be here for the whole carnival, so for the next three months I’m going to give it a crack,” Maloney said. “I have come down here by myself and will try to get back and see my girls early in the week. The racing here allows you to do that.
“But my focus is to work hard and find winners.
“There is an opportunity here at the moment with Hugh [Bowman] and Brenton [Avdulla] not here [after taking up Hong Kong contracts] and it’s a chance to test myself.
“It has a hard decision because Tony Gollan and David Vandyke have been good to me, but, as I said, it’s now or never because I have good rides and good support. I didn’t want to look back and think what might have happened.
“I have the ride on Sunshine In Paris, which made the decision a little easier, and Annabel and the Snowdens said they will support me, as well as Gerald Ryan.
“I will support them and get out to ride work and just try to make my mark.”
He has always been a jockey who had good associations. He was in the saddle of Alligator Blood when trained by David Vandyke, and he won the Magic Millions on Skirt The Law for Tony Gollan, whose support took him to the Brisbane premiership two years ago.
Maloney has nothing to prove as a jockey in Brisbane, but the chance to get a couple more group 1 wins on the bigger stage in Sydney is a challenge he relishes coming into the prime of his career.
Peter Snowden is confident the experienced Maloney will be sought-after hoop in the next couple of months.
“He has made the right decision to come at the beginning of spring and do the work to get the rides,” Snowden said. “There are a lot of very good young riders in Sydney, but Ryan has experience on his side and he got it right in big races before, so we have confidence in him.
“We have used him a lot and will be using him in the next couple of months because you only have to look at his record – he is a very good jockey.
“It will come down to him getting those winners because that makes or breaks you here, you have to perform.”
Maloney will be able to call on his Queensland connections given that a number of stables are likely to bring down spring contenders, and he will link with Deepour for Gold Coast trainer Adam Campton in the Missile Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
“He is on the quick back-up from last week, where he was in a race that they didn’t go too quick, which didn’t help him,” Maloney said. “It is a big step for him, but he will like the pressure of this race.
“He deserves his shot at a race like this, and he will be getting home late.
“I have a couple of nice ones for Annabel as well, so hopefully we can get off to a good start.”
Neasham has booked Maloney for the returning Regal Pom and Space Tracker, which is still looking for his first win in Australia after three runs. He will also get a feel of Sunshine In Paris in a raceday gallop with Zaaki.
There was a bit of confidence from Neasham around Maloney’s rides.
“Regal Pom goes well fresh and on his day. He is a horse we always thought could win a Saturday race,” she said on Racing HQ on Thursday.
“Space Tracker was disappointing in the South Grafton Cup [when fifth], but I put the winkers on him and he just seemed to overdo it.
“He had raced very well at Rosehill prior to that and he has a little freshen-up. His work has been good, so I’m looking forward to what he can do.”
Lees start the path to Newcastle Cup with Kalapour
Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has his eyes on the end of September with Brisbane winter revelation Kalapour as he returns in the Premiers Cup Prelude at Rosehill on Saturday.
The import stayer went from Brisbane benchmark company to a group 3 winner up north during the winter carnival, which made him Lees’ top-seed for the Newcastle Cup.
“We always thought he had that sort of talent when he got out in trip, so it wasn’t really a surprise,” Lees said. “We have been able to give him a bit of a freshen-up and he will sprint well fresh, but he’ll get better. He is the type of horse that is a lightly raced stayer and still getting stronger, so he could race well into the spring.”
Kalapour will be racing over 1800m on Saturday and Lees admitted that races like the Newcastle Cup and Metropolitan up around the 2400m trip will suit him better.
Kris Lees has earmarked Kalapour as his Newcastle Cup horse after the Brisbane winter. Credit: Getty
Once the six-year-old got beyond 2000m in Brisbane he won the Chariman’s Handicap and then a charged late when third in a photo finish in the Premier’s Cup by Kukeracha and Serpentine at his most outing on May 27.
The Premiers Cup Prelude will be the starting point for many stayers for the spring, but the favourite is emerging talent Fawkner Park, which is unbeaten in four Australian starts and stepping out in open grade for the first time.
The Annabel Neasham-trained four-year-old is a $2.50 favourite and gets in on the 54kg limit and will have the advantage of champion apprentice Zac Lloyd’s 1½ kilogram claim. Mach Schnell, which has raced well in the winter is at $7, while Kalapour and Bold Mac share the $8.50 line.
Lees is hoping to get another win out of Brudenell before the sprinter heads for a break. The front-runner has been run down late by Insurrection and Wategos at his past two under big weights, so Lees has opted for Amy McLucas with a three-kilogram claim on Saturday.
“He has been going really well but is up in the weights, so we will claim on him and hopefully he can find the line,” Lees said.
The Newcastle trainer will try to qualify Acquitted for the Big Dance through Friday’s Coffs Harbour Cup at the end of a solid campaign, where he was third in the Scone Cup in May and runner-up to Ucalledit in the Winter Stakes last time.
“He just missed out on qualifying at Scone and this looked a good chance for him to get into the Big Dance,” Lees said. “He likes to get his toe in and Coffs can often throw up a soft track.
“He is in good form and we picked out this race for him a while ago. He has drawn wide but he will get back and came down the centre late, and I think he is going well.”
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