Winning Horse: Uncommon James (Aus)
Winning Trainer: Steven O’Dea & Matt Hoysted
Hoysted on racing.com: “Can’t really put it into words. I hasn’ really sunk in. So proud of this horse.
“Obviously he’s got a bit of a family connection with my inlaws breeding him and my wife breeding and owning him.
“Our big team at home, for Steve and myself, we’re at the front of this but it is a big team behind us making this work and we just knew he had so much improvement in him coming her first-up last week, he’s just improved out of sight.
“All credit to Ben. It was a great ride navigating that gate nice and early. The sky is the limit. He’s still learning, this horse. Hopefully we can have a fair bit of fun over the next 12 months.
Missing the Rupert Clarke last year: “Obviously it was devastating having to pull up stumps when he was going so well this time in. Obviously he comes first and we knew that there was so mich more improvement so there was no point risking him or pushing forward in his preparation so we pulled and have been rewarded today.”
Newmarket possbility: “Possibly. Obviously the Newmarket or The Galaxy, that is on the radar as well. We’ll let the dust settle and celebrate tonight. We’ll go from there.”
Winning Jockey: Ben Thompson
Ben on racing.com – Emotional moment with first Group 1: “It means so much. It means everything.
(Crying) “I’m a mess and I get that from my mother who is here. Far out.
“Obviously it is one thing that every jockey dreams of but not many get to have ‘Group 1 winning rider’ next to their name.
“It is so lucky for it to have happened. It’s just the way it has panned out. Uncommon James is a horse I’ve had a lot to do with. I rode him in in his first ever jump out with other horses out of the barriers and I’d ridden him three times in Queensland for three wins and just also with the turn of events and getting the ride at the last hour after Roch ‘N’ Horse missed the Lightning to run today, thank God it did and dropped the weight so I was able to ride him.
“A huge thanks to Steven O’Dea, Matt Hoysted and Cailtlin Lavin, and the entire Lavin family for the ride. They’ve been a huge supporter of mine since making the move north and made riding winners a lot easier because their horses are so good.
“Just for it to happen here is so special. I learnt to ride and I did my entire apprenticeship in Victoria. I’m struggling to put two words together.
“For it to happen here it is almost meant to be. Just amazing.
“I’m sure my beautiful wife, Steph, is a mess. My mum and little sister are here today.”
On the run and different winning post: “it was different and speaking to riders who had ridden over this course they said it is so unusual because they’re not used to it.
“I pretty just just told myself to ride until the end of the turn and I thought if I’m still traveling at the pole which is usually 200 metres to go, just under 300 today, and I’m probably going to win, honestly in the run I thought I was going pretty good then, I’m going to win here.
“Then I heard Asfoora coming up and was thinking ‘bugger off, Jye’, but we pulled through.
“He’s a really good horse and you’ll hear a lot more about Uncommon James.”
Mentor: “Danny Beasley – he has been my biggest mentor since doing a stint in Singapore and he is one of my best mates. He helps me day in and day out on and off the track. This is amazing.”
Ben on racing.com – “I’ve dreamt of this moment and hopefully standing next you (McAvaney) one day. It’s surreal.
“I’m sure that everyone that puts silks and boots on dreams of being a Group 1 jockey. To joining that club I’m extremely lucky and overwhelming.
“It was one of those race that unless someone has a crystal ball I don’t think anyone could predict a) how the race would be run, and b) who would be the winner.
“Zoustyle showed slick speed from out wide and my guy jumped really well. After 50 to 100 metres I was thinking that I don’t know how Matt and Steve would be thinking, I don’t think they would have wanted me this close.
“I just had to trust him. I know the horse really well and he just traveled so well through the dip. Without riding him in the Rubiton last start, he did ride like a horse that has raced here.
“I was still traveling come the pole at the 300 and I had Zoustyle and I Am Me covered. He’s gallant. He’s a serious horse and I’m sure we’ll her a lot more of Uncommon James.
What will his wife be thinking: “I think she’ll be thinking ‘handbags and shoes’. She’s amazing. She obviously, and it is probably a cliche, behind every good man is a good woman. She’s my wife and she’s amazing. She makes my life as good as can be and this is every much (bit) for me as it is for her.”
Beaten Jockeys:
Jamie Mott (Roch ‘N’ Horse): “I thought she ran really well. She had a big weight and probably found them a bit sharp being first-up, but that will top her off nicely for the Newmarket.”
Ben Melham (Masked Crusader): “I expected him to run better, to be honest.”
Blake Shinn (The Astrologist): “They were just a bit sharp for him at the 1100 (metres), but he ran well.”
John Allen (King Of Sparta): “He ran super. He really hit the line. Pity it wasn’t 1200 (metres).
Ethan Brown (Zoustyle): “It’s hard for horses to maintain that gallop especially as that straight is a bit long but gallant in defeat.”
Harry Coffey (Marine One): “Nice race but the high pressure Oakleigh Plate probably found him out late.”
Jye McNeil (Asfoora): “It was a great performance. She just slipped at the start and that put us further back than anticipated but it was a brave effort.”
Craig Newitt (Lofty Strike): “He ran outstanding. He got bowled over just out of the gate, so I was a little bit further back than I wanted to be. I didn’t really have a horse drag me into it, so I had to expose him 100 metres I would have liked and it was probably the telling factor. He’ll go to the Newmarket and be very hard to beat.
Craig Williams (Chain Of Lightning): “They just went that fast and kept going faster and seemed to have her at her top and for a horse that was never comfortable, I thought she acquitted herself well.”
Jaden Lloyd (Shooting For Gold): “Good run. He just got a bit lost down the dip but picked up well and tried his heart out.”
Jamie Kah (I Am Me): “She was OK. I know that she has another gear and she just didn’t show that today.”
Dean Holland (Mileva): “Followed the eventual third horse but was in trouble a fair way out. I thought it was disappointing.”
Michael Dee (Star Patrol): “He tried hard. I think he was close to his top most of the way which took his turn of foot away, but he was sticking on to the line.”
Daniel Moor (Zapateo): “I began really well and didn’t get the cover that I needed.”
Kayla Crowther (Shamino): “Just a little bit too fast for too long for him.”
