Boom Time for Parish in Sydney Cup 2017

Jockey Corey Parish is excited about his maiden Sydney Cup ride this weekend taking advantage of the re-run aboard new edition to the field Boom Time for the Lindsay Park stable.

Boom Time

Boom Time in the 2017 Sydney Cup is jockey Corey Parish’s first Randwick ride on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Three horses that didn’t go around in the abandoned first running of the $2 million Group 1 Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m) a fortnight ago are part of the fourteen-starter field for the rescheduled edition on Saturday.

Added to the Royal Randwick line-up, the second Sydney Cup is set to run as Race 8 at 3:35pm (AEST) and the bookies remain keen on the Darren Weir-trained Big Duke for the win.

The New Zealand-born now Victorian-based Parish meanwhile is hoping to get home in an upset aboard one of the two David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained stayers in the mix, Flying Spur stallion Boom Time.

“I would say it would be my biggest opportunity,” Parish, 27, told AAP speaking about the Sydney Cup ride.

“Obviously I’ve had Group 1 rides but this is quite a prestigious Group One so I would say it would be the best opportunity that I’ve had in my career.”

Five-year-old Boom Time is joined in the two mile classic by imported stablemate Harlem, to be ridden by Chad Schofield on 52kg.

Harlem, last seen running second last when eighth to superstar mare Winx in the $4 million Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Day 2 of ‘The Championships’, is only rated a $31 shot in the latest Sydney Cup markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Boom Time on the other hand is at $21 to score successive wins on back-to-back Saturdays after taking out a 2425m handicap at Caulfield last weekend by over two lengths.

Leading apprentice Beau Mertens had the ride on Easter Saturday giving the galloper a big of weight relief.

Parish comes on in the Group 1 test seven days later for his maiden Randwick ride, Boom Time dropping from his 58.5kg winning weight last weekend to 53.5kg in the Sydney Cup.

It is a huge opportunity for Parish who is in the spotlight having done plenty of track work for the Lindsay Park stable at the Euroa base including on Boom Time.

“I do a fair bit of trackwork for them and I’ve ridden him a fair bit in track gallops,” he said.

“I even said to Tom a little while back, ‘if you could try to get me on this horse, I think he would suit me’.

“If he can do the same sort of thing [he did at Caulfield last weekend] and if he can run out the 3200 metres I think he’ll be just as competitive.

“Obviously he’s rock-hard fit and if he can just get a nice run through the race I think he can be in with a live chance.”

This season alone 20 of his 30 winning rides have been for the Hayes-led team.

The hoop also enjoyed a Group 1 Memsie Stakes fourth on Tashbeeh for Lindsay Park back in late August behind stablemate Black Heart Bart at Caulfield.

Parish’s other Group 1 ride for the Hayes & Dabernig partnership produced an unplaced run (12th) on Fuhryk in the Australian Guineas at Flemington on March 4, a performance he is hoping to do better than in Saturday’s staying classic.

The stable was at the centre of the disastrous first edition of the Sydney Cup a fortnight ago when their horse Almoonqith fell, breaking his leg and having to be subsequently euthanised.

About The Author

Lucy Henderson

Lucy is an experienced horse racing journalist that has been a crucial member of the horseracing.com.au team for the better part of a decade. She has taken great delight in covering champion mares Black Caviar and Winx throughout their careers and always has a soft spot for a winning filly.