Jockey Tye Angland has been booked to ride Star Rolling in the 2014 Epsom Handicap at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Star Rolling started his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a win in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Angland generally rides at 55 kilograms and will need to do plenty of work during the week in order to get his weight down to the 53 kilograms required to partner Star Rolling in the Group 1 event, but the talented hoop is hoping that his ability to take lighter rides will give him the chance to get on board other horses down in the weights in the major events of the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
“It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to be a long week,” Angland told AAP.
“It’s about trying to push myself and seeing how low I can get if something pops up in the big races coming up.”
Star Rolling will be having his first race start in Sydney after racing exclusively in Victoria and South Australia during his racing career to date, but looms as a genuine chance of recording his first win at Group 1 level in the Epsom Handicap.
The Casino Prince gelding started his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a narrow victory over Spillway in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 16 after being ridden close to the speed, but he was unable to go with The Cleaner in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 6 and he tired in the final stages of the race to finish sixth.
Co-trainer Peter Morgan was confident that Star Rolling could return to his best form in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m), but he was settled off the pace by jockey Stephen Baster and he was unable to get involved in the finish.
Angland will be riding in the Epsom Handicap for the third time in his career after finishing at the tail of the field behind Rock Kingdom on Cullen Castle in 2009 and seventh behind Theseo on Bart Cummings-trained God’s Hand in 2008.
Star Rolling is currently available at 2014 Epsom Handicap odds of $15, while Shannon Stakes winner Rock Sturdy ($3.80) is favourite from talented mare Royal Descent ($5), imported galloper He’s Your Man ($6), last year’s winner Boban ($7), Team Hawkes-trained Toydini ($7.50), Cameron Handicap winner Hooked ($15) and consistent gelding Ninth Legion ($15).
