Josh Adams finished on the wrong end of a rare apprentices’ result in last year’s Villiers Stakes and believes statistics give his mount Miss Keepsake a realistic shot at Saturday’s Group Two race.
“The Villiers is a lightweights race for mine,” Adams said.
“If Miss Keepsake turns up on the day, with no weight you can’t leave her out.”
The Queensland Oaks winner two seasons ago, Miss Keepsake has 52kg but has been largely ignored by Villiers Stakes price assessors as a $26 chance.
But as a five-year-old mare on the minimum, she profiles in a similar mould to last year’s winner Dances On Waves and the 2009 winner Palacio De Cristal who both had the limit weight.
“Last year Dances On Waves had 52 kilos, drew barrier 17 and won the race,” Adams said.
“The reason why I remember that is that I drew 18 on Mentality and ran second.
“I had to work a bit to get across Dances On Waves and she ended up having the perfect sit.
“If I had drawn 17 I would have won.”
Brenton Avdulla was in the final months of his apprenticeship when he rode Dances On Waves.
In spite of last year’s quinella, Villiers history hasn’t been kind to junior riders.
Until Avdulla and Adams produced their one-two finish, John Duggan’s 1972 win aboard Torumba was the last time an apprentice won the race.
Duggan also won the Villiers in 1970, a year after Peter Cook rode Sir To Me to victory as an apprentice.
Apprentices are well represented on Saturday with Chad Schofield and Adam Hyeronimus keeping the mounts on New Day Rising and Zara Dancer respectively.
Sam Clipperton, who made way for Hugh Bowman on Monton, has picked up the ride on the $71 chance Tindal.
Miss Keepsake has been a source of frustration for Joe Pride since she arrived at the Warwick Farm trainer’s stable 12 month ago.
But Adams says he saw enough in her last-start Festival Stakes effort to convince him she has a bolter’s chance on her home track.
“She’s got the blinkers back on and I think you’ll see a big improvement from her last run to this run,” he said.
Adams is on the verge of outriding his allowance and says he needs his career, interrupted this year because of a long suspension, to gain some momentum.
“I’ve got another four winners before I lose my claim and hopefully I can ride them pretty quickly,” he said.
“If I can get four winners in, say a month, I think it will make it easier to start riding without a claim because people will know I’m riding winners.”
AAP TURF
