By Craig Kerry
Jockey Blake Spriggs hopes “a leg up” from Kembla Grange trainer Mitch Beer can lead to a career-boosting win in The Gong (1600m) with Victorian galloper Suparazi on Saturday.
Spriggs, a group 1 winner in 2016 aboard Sir John Hawkwood in The Metropolitan, has been back riding mainly on the NSW country and provincial circuits since April after a seven-month stint in Brisbane.
Suparazi wins at Flemington in January with Zac Spain in the saddle.Credit: Getty Images
Already with a ride in the $300,000 The Warra on the Matthew Smith-prepared Headwall, the Newcastle-based hoop then picked up the mount on the Ben Brisbourne-trained Suparazi ($27 with Sportsbet) in the $1 million feature.
It will be Spriggs’ biggest race since riding Hightail in the 2020 Stradbroke Handicap.
“It’s a pretty good ride,” Spriggs said. “I don’t know a hell of a lot about it, but it ran third in the Big Dance behind Gringotts, which is the form of the race really.
“I’ve got to thank Mitch Beer. We’ve had a lot of luck together lately, and he actually got me the ride.
“I think the horse is staying at his stables, and the trainer spoke about who he could get at 54 kilos and Mitch put me forward.
“He’s already said he’s going to claim 10 per cent manager’s fee if it gets up.
“It’s really good for my career. I’ve been working really hard since I moved back and to get that support from Mitch has enabled me to show I’m back and what I can do again.
“Hopefully, the next step is winning The Gong or a Warra.
“I had the highs of Sir John in group 1s, but then I had a couple of bad injuries”: Blake Spriggs.Credit: Getty Images
“I had the highs of Sir John in group 1s, but then I had a couple of bad injuries back to back, and you can get forgotten about pretty quick in this game, unless you’re one of the big guys, so it’s good to be back.”
Headwall, a last-start winner at Randwick over The Warra distance, shapes as a better chance on the day, at $5.50.
Spriggs rode him to third place in a support race on The Gong program last year and hopes to score a special win for part-owner Reg Young and his family.
“Headwall, I just love him. There’s a lot of emotion in that horse,” he said.
“One of the owners, [Reg’s wife] Marie Young, had motor neurone disease and died just over a year ago, and we had the funeral up on the hill at Kembla, so it would be pretty special if we could get him to win.
“He’s certainly a talented horse, and I’m excited by him. He’s drawn 11 of 11, but it doesn’t matter there – there’s one turn and I think he races better when he’s on the outside of them. And if there’s a bit of give in the track, he’s a great chance.
“It would be quite emotional if we could get him home, and he’s well placed at 53 kilos.”
Kembla was rated a soft 6 on Thursday with fine weather forecast for Friday and Saturday.
