By Craig Kerry
For Zac Lloyd, finishing second is the best he can hope for in the Sydney jockey premiership – at least as long as James McDonald is around.
With that in mind, the two-time champion apprentice heads to Randwick on Saturday looking to keep his position high on the standings, a little more than two months into his career as a senior rider.
Zac Lloyd rides Open Secret (left) to victory at Randwick on January 25.Credit: Getty Images
Lloyd has climbed to equal second in the premiership alongside Tim Clark on 39 winners, 14 behind eight-time winner McDonald.
“We won’t catch James,” Lloyd said with a smile. “In my eyes, second is first, so we just eliminate James from the equation, and we wait for him to move on, I suppose.
“But second’s great for me, and I’m proud of that. If I can finish in the top three, five, that’s a good season for me.
“I’ve made my way up the premiership, which was my goal. I feel like I could be riding better, so I’ve still got a lot of things to work on, but I’m getting good support from good trainers and riding good horses, which obviously helps.”
Lloyd will chase stakes wins on Saturday with Godolphin’s Chergui in the listed Lonhro Plate (1000m), the John Thompson-trained Open Secret in the $2 million Inglis Millennium (1100m) and John O’Shea and Tom Charlton’s Snow In May in the group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m).
Chergui is a $4.20 Sportsbet hope from gate four after finishing second on debut for Lloyd behind the impressive Pallaton.
“He’s a nice colt; obviously really well bred out of Essaouira,” Lloyd said. “It trialled well the other week and has a really nice barrier, which is important for him. Hopefully, he can get a run just behind the speed. He’ll be competitive.”
Lloyd took Open Secret to a narrow, all-the-way win over $1.75 million colt United States on debut at Randwick two weeks ago, but the combination will have to contend with the second-widest gate this time around.
Zac Lloyd has climbed to equal second in the jockey premiership.Credit: Getty Images
“Obviously, 19 is very, very tricky for a two-year-old,” Lloyd said of the $14 shot.
“I didn’t expect her to win first start, so she impressed me. She beat a good one in United States, who looks like a nice colt, so the form should be all right.”
Thompson said of the draw: “The saving grace is a lot of the chances have drawn wide. She’s going to need a bit of luck obviously, but I think she’s a good filly.”
Snow In May ($6.50), stakes placed twice in the spring, resumes in the feature for three-year-olds.
“I’ve trialled her twice,” Lloyd said.
“She’s a really nice filly. Obviously going against the boys is a tricky challenge first up. Being first up, we won’t be too aggressive with her. We’ll just put her in a nice position and let her do as she pleases the last 400m, but whatever she does on Saturday, I’m sure she’ll improve on.”
