Chris Barrett has quietly been part of hundreds of group 1 victories as the backroom help for Australian best jockeys, but they will all take a back seat to his nephew Taylor Marshall when he rides Bandersnatch for the jockey’s valet in Saturday’s Doncaster at Randwick.
A former jockey himself, Barrett invested in Bandersnatch with his family and some friends as a yearling and had his biggest success in the Doncaster Prelude, which he watched between organising saddles in the jockeys room last Saturday.
Jockey valet polishes the saddle Hugh Bowman used on Winx in preparation for The Championships. Credit: Jessica Hromas
“My job is just to make their day easier. I get everything ready and sometimes just give them a word if they need it,” Barrett said of his job. “I got to pop my head out last week and watch Bandersnatch, and I might have been the happiest man in the room.”
Barrett was there for the Winx journey and would often be seen taking Hugh Bowman’s saddle away as the celebrations began. He does the same for James McDonald, Kerrin McEvoy and plenty of others. He is trusted with their gear and saddles at the track and away from it.
In preparation for Saturday, Barrett has been polishing saddles and cleaning gear this week and thinking of maybe getting a trophy of his own in the Doncaster.
“They all like things done certain ways. You need to know what they are going through – if they are wasting or if something has gone wrong during the day,” Barrett said.
“On days like The Championships, there is a lot of pressure on everyone, and it’s about just keeping them settled to ride their best races.
“These big days are always exciting, but the Doncaster is going to be something special this year.
“They will all get their saddles, but I will make sure I help Taylor first.”
While the Doncaster was the dream for Bandersnatch at the beginning of the autumn, Barrett admits it came as shock when he won his way into the $4 million mile on the first day of The Championships.
And when Bandersnatch needed a jockey to ride at 51 kilos, Barrett’s son Josh wanted to put his cousin, the son of late Melbourne Cup-winning jockey John Marshall, on him.
“Josh thought it would be great for the family if Taylor could ride him, and I know John would be so proud if he was here to see Taylor riding in a Doncaster,” Barrett said. “It’s a family horse and we are keeping it in the family.
“When we suggested Taylor to the Hawkes family, they were really good to get him booked straight away. The horse is flying, as we saw last week, and we have a good draw, so he will get the chance to win.
“It is hard to say any win in a Doncaster would mean more, but having Taylor riding does make it extra special for us.”
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