Luke Tarrant’s first trip to ride outside Queensland has been one of triumph and a near miss.
Celebrations for the 20-year-old’s win in the Group Two Villiers Stakes at Randwick on Rudy for trainer Helen Page were put on hold when he came in 400g underweight.
Rudy
Another 100g would have meant disqualification for Rudy who Tarrant rode with a maturity beyond his years when he came out of the pack to beat I’m Imposing by a short neck.
The Gold Coast-based Page told stewards there were many factors to take into consideration, mainly the difference in weighing out procedures between the two states.
“Down here you weigh out a race before so there is a much longer wait,” Page said.
“In that time Luke has probably gone to the toilet. It has been a big day and a big occasion and nerves would have taken over.
“He only had the one ride and has been waiting around all day.”
Tarrant said he had taken a drink to get his weight up by 200g after he first stepped on the scale.
“I was 53.8 (kilograms) so I had a drink to make it up,” he said.
“I’ve then gone to the toilet during the wait.
“I quite often have a drink to make up the weight in Queensland and I sweat during the race but it’s never happened to me that I’ve been more than a couple of ticks under.”
Tarrant, the Brisbane jockeys’ premiership leader, was fined $1000 but that did not dampen his spirits.
“It’s my first ride out of Queensland and to win the Villiers is great,” he said.
“Darren Beadman told me a lot about riding Randwick. Jim Cassidy took me under his wing.
“All the jockeys in the room have been tremendous.”
For Page it was a homecoming to enjoy.
The former Warwick Farm trainer relocated to the Gold Coast 18 years ago and rarely returns unless she believes she can win as she did 10 years ago with Doonan to take home the Golden Rose.
Rudy’s win means he has automatic entry to the Doncaster Mile in the autumn and that race is firmly in the picture.
“I want to take small steps with but the Doncaster is definitely in our minds,” she said.
“The summer campaign was aimed at getting his prize money up to get him into the bigger races next year.
“Luke couldn’t have ridden him any better and it’s a great thrill.”
As well as the fine, Tarrant went home with some advice from chief steward Ray Murrihy.
“Drinking water is not the way to make up weight,” he said.
“Perhaps you should think about adding some gear if you know you lose weight during a race.”
Adding to Tarrant’s Villiers drama, Estonian Princess lost her third position when stewards upheld their own protest over interference in the straight to Strawberry Boy.
