Star apprentice Timothy Bell has been sacked by the powerful Patinack Farm stable leading into the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
Bell will leave the stable in a week and as he only has two months of his apprenticeship remaining will apply to Queensland Racing Limited to terminate his apprenticeship and allow him to ride as a fully fledged jockey.
“I’ve got two months left on my apprenticeship but I’ll be applying to the stewards to become a senior straight away,” Bell said.
“I’ve just bought a house on the Gold Coast so I’ll probably stay here in Queensland for a while yet.”
“I’m still doing a lot of riding for other trainers like Barry Baldwin, Gillian Heinrich and Michael Nolan.”
The axing of Bell from Patinack’s books will pave the way for international jockeys Jeff Lloyd and Michael Cahill to take up most of the Brisbane riding.
Lloyd confirmed a couple of months ago that he was going to set up base in South East Queensland and after some delays will be available to ride at the Group 1 Doomben Cup meeting on May 19.
While Cahill will be back on the Gold Coast on Saturday to ride at the Hollindale Cup meeting after spending several seasons riding in Mauritius.
Bell was a little bit mystified by his sacking, saying he thought he had been riding at the best of his career, but Patinack head Nathan Tinkler thought differently.
“I can’t understand it. I reckon I’ve been riding at the best of my career,” Bell said.
Bell has been Patinack Farm’s Queensland stable rider for the past twelve months and has been based at Wadham Park where he would ride work six mornings a week.
“I got a week’s notice from Nathan via email this morning after I rode work,” Bell said.
“I had a great time with Patinack Farm and it’s a pity it has come to this just before the winter carnival.
“But all good things come to an end and I’m just thankful I didn’t burn any bridges with other trainers before I went to Patinack Farm.”
Bell is currently running second on the Brisbane jockey’s premiership table with forty-eight wins behind tearaway leader Chris Munce who is on eighty-two.
The young rider showed plenty of potential when riding in Brisbane when apprenticed to New South Wales trainer Sue Grylls and when he made the move to Brisbane just over twelve months ago linked up with the powerful Patinack Farm stable.
