When Rosehill trainer Darrell Thomas was looking for the right apprentice to ride Delightful Emperor at Goulburn on Tuesday he couldn’t go past David Baxter.
The teenage apprentice will be the least experienced jockey in the field when he partners the topweight in the Park St TAB Sydney Heat of The Rising Star (1300m).
With bragging rights between the apprentices on the line, Thomas wanted to make sure Delightful Emperor carried the least amount of weight as possible after being handicapped on 61kg.
“David won on Delightful Emperor at his only ride on the horse and his first for me at Goulburn so I wanted to put him on again,” Thomas said.
“I think he has ridden just the two winners he has only just started out and from barrier six I think he can position the horse just behind the speed.”
Just like the brief association between Thomas and Baxter at Goulburn, Delightful Emperor’s origins also come from Goulburn.
“The club was having its stallion tender scheme and I purchased the service fee to Nothin’ Leica Dane and Delightful Emperor is the result,” he said.
“I bred him and he has been consistent all the way through without winning a lot of races. He has won five times and $47,000 in prizemoney.”
Since winning a 16-horse race at odds of $26 at Goulburn back in late March, Delightful Emperor has been well beaten in two starts at Canterbury and Bathurst.
The query runner is Micalong, which will be having his first start for new trainer Mick Miladinovic after winning two races over 2000m with former trainer David Blundell more than 12 months ago.
Fresh from winning last week’s Wagga Wagga Town Plate on How Much My Love, apprentice jockey Chad Schofield will partner Micalong.
Last start winners Tuscan Power and In His Honour are likely to push for favouritism with experienced apprentice riders Jake Hull and Josh Adams on board.
After a winning double at Canterbury on Saturday, apprentice rider Taylor Lovelock-Wiggins will ride Onherelles for his father Peter Wiggins in the feature race.
While Thomas feels Delightful Emperor has sound each-way claims, he is more confident about Delightful Knight in the Glen MIA ACT Maiden (1000m).
“He ran a good second last start with the blinkers on which helped fire him out at the start,” he said.
“If he can jump well, I think he will be hard to beat.”
Thomas rated last start Gosford runner-up Sweet Cinderella as the one to beat.
AAP TURF
