Glen Boss’ hopes of making his jumps riding debut this winter have hit a hurdle with the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning hoop running out of time to get his ticket.
Boss was in line to make a surprising, albeit temporary, transition from flat jockey to jumps rider so he could partner super horse Black And Bent in the $100,000 JJ Houlahan Hurdle (3400m) at Sandown on Sunday week.
He needed to ride in 10 jumps trials to earn his ticket but on Wednesday his dreams were dashed when he found out there were not enough heats being held between now and then for him to meet the criterion.
“It’s not going to happen unfortunately,” Boss said.
“There aren’t enough trials before Sunday week, there are eight and I needed 10.
“I was looking forward to doing it, I would have loved to get on a horse like him so it is disappointing.”
Boss, who rode champion Makybe Diva to her three Melbourne Cup wins, said he had always harboured a desire to compete over the sticks.
That dream was reignited at Cranbourne earlier this month when he rode the Robert Smerdon-trained Black And Bent in a barrier trial on the flat before the gelding’s 12-length victory in Sunday’s Grand National Hurdle at Sandown .
“I jokingly said to ‘Smerdy’, I’ll jump this horse one day’ and he basically said, ‘well if you’re going to do it you’ve got to do it soon’,” Boss said on Sky Sports Radio on Wednesday.
Boss said he was approached to ride the gelding in the JJ Houlahan and was so serious about getting his ticket he schooled one of Smerdon’s horses over nine jumps on Tuesday.
Time has beaten him but while it won’t happen this year, Boss has declared it will happen.
“It’s something I will do, it’s just a matter of when I’ll do it,” he said.
“It’s just that the opportunity came up to ride this horse in this race. It would just be an amazing thing, it would be something I’d cherish for the rest of my life to ride a horse like this over the jumps.”
Boss is currently serving a suspension and won’t ride in races on Saturday but confirmed he would be at Warwick Farm to partner unbeaten colt Smart Missile in an exhibition gallop.
AAP TURF
