It’s said that jockeys born with clocks in their heads, such is their ability to judge the pace of a race and determine the speed of their mounts.
Few this season have displayed that innate sense of timing as well as Irish rider Declan Bates, whose ability to guauge his mount Pride of Jenni’s pace – and the overall tempo he is setting – has produced two group one victories in races where his partner has led for either the entire trip or most of the contest.
The Ciaron Maher trained mare took out the All Star Mile at Caulfield last time out, defeating the short priced favourite Mr Brightside. It was the biggest win of Bates’ career, although not a Group One race because of the select invitational criteria attached to the runners in the $4 million event.
But he notched top level success on the front running six year old twice in successive weeks during the spring when Pride of Jenni took out the Empire Rose States and the Champions Mile, both at Flemington, on the first and last Saturdays of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
He will look to gallop his rivals into the ground again at headquarters this Saturday when he mare he just refers to as Jenni takes on All Star Mile placegetters Mr Brightside and Cascadian, as well as a number of other previous group one winners, in the Australian Cup.
Bates laughs when asked if the old adage about riders and precision timepieces lodged between their ears is correct.
”I don’t know if you are born with that sort of timing, but it is something you learn. I think with riding her it’s probably a combination of the feel she gives you as much as anything, but you also do use that gained experience of the clock in your head, the timing, to measure the fractions through the race.”
Wexford born, Bates was a former jumps rider who managed to get his weight down enough to switch to the flat where, certainly in Australia, there are far more opportunities than over fences and hurdles.
”I grew up riding horses all my life. In Ireland we don’t use times so much, but since I have been in Australia I have worked off times a lot more. With Jenni though it’s getting her where she’s comfortable, concentrating on keeping her relaxed.”
He is likely to be out in front and free wheeling as the field levels up for the final charge to the line on Saturday, a place where it can feel lonely as a leader waits to hear the hoofbeats of the closing pack and the crack of the whips and roar of chasing riders.
”That Flemington straight can be pretty long sometimes when you are on a front runner, but mainly you are just concentrating on keeping your mount going. I’ll be keeping Jenni balanced and running. But certainly inside that last 400 metres you just want that line to come up.”
Her biggest wins have been over 1600 metres but she steps up to 2000 metres in the Cup. It’s not a change that will see Bates change his tactics too much.
”It makes a difference, but I am not going to change my approach too much. Her strength is that high cruising speed she has to get other horses out of their comfort zone, so that is what we have to use.
”You are up in trip so you are not necessarily going to go the same speed as you would at a mile. I might try to taper it a little bit but not necessarily change a whole lot.
”A few years ago I wouldn’t have thought she would get this trip but because she’s more mature now she is doing it a bit more within herself, that’s going to help her run it out.”
