Jockey Tim Clark has put himself in prime position to ride 50 city winners this season when he takes to the track at Canterbury this Wednesday.
The jockey currently has 49.5 winners to his name this season, and has more than two months to rack up another win.
Clark has put to shame his last season’s total of 36 winners.
“I think I rode 36 winners last season and I thought 50 would be maybe a bit ambitious but I thought if I targeted something around that mark, if I came up a bit short I wasn’t going to be too disappointed,” Clark said.
“Things have gone pretty well for me though and I’ve been able to get the results.”
Clark feels the biggest moment of his season was achieving the Doncaster Mile Day double last month.
“Obviously the massive highlight for me was getting the two Group One winners on Doncaster day including the Doncaster on Sacred Choice,” Clark said.
“That was a career highlight, but apart from that I think I’ve ridden more consistently this season.
“In the past I’ve probably ridden a bit patchy but I think I’ve ridden less bad races this year.”
Two of the horses Clark is hopeful at securing his 50th season win on tomorrow are French import Wazn and Les Bridges’ Hot Snap.
Clark rode Wazn to his debut Australian win at Warwick Farm on May 4.
“Before the race he was a bit of an unknown, even to Chris (Waller), but he was never going to get beaten that day from the time the gates opened,” Clark said.
“He jumped well, travelled well and then quickened nicely.
“If he turns up the same horse tomorrow he’ll probably be my best ride of the day and I think he might progress through the grades like a lot of those imported horses have from Chris’ stable.”
Hot Snap will be looking for a better finish in tomorrow’s TJ’s Champagne Bar Handicap, after finishing fifth last start.
“We’ll probably just go back and ride him quieter tomorrow,” Clark said.
“He raced up on the speed from a good gate last start but it was a fast-run race and it brought him unstuck a bit.”
Clark also will ride four other runners at Canterbury tomorrow, with a win on any one of them enough to give him the south after 50 wins.
