Brad Rawiller to miss the start of Melbourne Festival Of Racing

In form Victorian jockey Brad Rawiller will miss the beginning of the Melbourne Festival Of Racing after suffering a broken foot in a barrier mishap at the Terang race meeting on Sunday.

The hard working Rawiller currently leads the Victorian jockey’s premiership with ninety-six winners, eleven ahead of Dean Yendall and is likely to be out of the saddle for three weeks.

“We’re hoping it’s only two or three weeks, that’s what the doctors are saying may be the best case scenario,” Rawiller’s wife Carolyn said.

“Things have been going so well lately – we’re just hoping this won’t keep him away too long,”

Rawiller was aboard the Darren Weir trained Maddy’s Angel which became fractious in the barrier’s prior to the running of the third race jamming his foot up against the starting stalls after riding Zimmerman for Heath Connors to take out the previous race.

Rawiller travels to all the Victorian country race meetings as well as riding regularly at the city tracks for a number of the bigger stables and has ridden twenty-two Metropolitan winners this season

The injured jockey teamed up with the powerful Peter Moody stable during the Brisbane Winter Carnival last year taking out the Group 1 $500,000 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 9 on Brambles.

The Derby was the third leg of a winning treble for Rawiller and Brambles who scored twice in the lead up to the three year old feature with wins in the Group 3 $125,000 Mittys Rough Habit Plate (2000m) on May 12 and the Group 3 $150,000 Mullins Lawyers Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) on May 26 at Doomben.

Rawiller will join his brother Nash on the sidelines who is nearing a return to the saddle after recovering from a broken angle he sustained in a barrier incident as well.

Nash, who is stable rider for the Gai Waterhouse stable, was on the John O’Shea unraced two year old Recharging To Win who played up in the starting stall at the Rosehill barrier trial the week before Christmas.

Nash Rawiller combined with Waterhouse to take out the two year old Triple Crown with super colt Pierro at last year’s Autumn Carnival and is hoping to be fit to partner the three year old during this year’s Carnival which could include a start in the Group 1 $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 9 and the Group 1 $2m BMW Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 20.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.