Internationally acclaimed jockey Craig Williams is keen to extend his lead in the Melbourne jockey’s premiership at Caulfield on Saturday after snatching a one win lead over main rival Dwayne Dunn with a winning double at Moonee Valley on Wednesday.
Craig Williams will ride Girl Guide, above, in the Sir John Monash Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Williams steered the Chris Waller trained Magicus and Tony McEvoy’s Trubo Street to victory late in the day to go to sixty-five wins for the season while Dunn was left lamenting on sixty-four after he failed to find the winner’s stall.
Even though Dunn lost his spot at the top of the table, he was one of the first to congratulate Williams on a masterful ride to get Turbo Street home in the 1600m BenchMark 84 Handicap.
“Dwayne Dunn came up to me after the win and told me it was a great ride,” Williams told the Herald Sun.
“That really summed it up to me how good a ride it was for my main opposition to tell me that.”
“For your opposition to acknowledge that is enough, I know that he has got more in store, I got lucky I had the right horse.
“We know Dwayne Dunn is a great chessmaster, he is the reason why I am riding that well is because he is pushing me to go that far.
“I like competition and he is making me strive even harder and work harder.”
The 2015- 2016 racing season concludes at the end of July and Williams certainly has the momentum in his favour and as well as riding a double at Moonee Valley, collected five winners at Flemington last Saturday, compared to Dunn’s one, setting up a great battle over the next two weeks.
Williams, who is chasing his fifth Melbourne jockey’s premiership, and Dunn, who is searching for his first, both have eight mounts at Caulfield on Saturday and Dunn has a great chance to regain the lead with some well fancied horses in his book of rides.
While both jockeys seem to be evenly matched throughout the day, Dunn will be on the firm favourite, Fast ‘N’ Rocking, in the main feature of the day, the Group 3 $150,000 Food Services Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m).
The David Hayes and Tom Dabernig trained Fast ‘N’ Rocking has held his spot at the top of the market order at Ladbrokes.com.au at $4.50 while Williams will be aboard $6.50 chance Girl Guide from the Ciaron Maher stable.
Fast ‘N’ Rocking has been freshened up since running fourth to Black Heart Bart in the Group 1 $500,000 Darley Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 21 and the five year old has also been Group 1 placed on several occasion in the past.
Dunn is also on several other early favourites throughout the day, Lady Esprit ($4.20 equal favourite) in the second, Fearless Raider ($3.60 ) in the third, Longeron ($3.30) and Duke Of Brunswick ($2.60).
While Williams is not aboard any pre post favourites, several of his mounts are well fancied in the betting including Ulmann, who at $3.30, is pushing Dunn’s mount Duke Of Brunswick for the top spot in the market order for the 1400m LUCRF Super supports Jockeys Plate.
Sir John Monash Stakes market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4.50 Fast ‘N’ Rocking, $6 Wild Rain, $6.50 Girl Guide, $7 Lord Of The Sky, $8.50 Atmospherical, $13 Thermal Current, $14 Kayjay’s Joy, $18 Runsati, $20 Trevinder, $21 Olivier, $26 The Cynic, $31 Le Bonsir, Weinholt, $34 General Truce, Mirage, $41 Tudor.
