Jockey Blake Shinn has shrugged off the effects of a virus to open up his lead on Craig Williams in the battle for Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership honours.
Shinn rode the first two winners at Sandown on Wednesday and secured another victory mid-program to move seven clear of Williams with four meetings remaining for the season.
Wednesday’s meeting was Shinn’s third back from an injury enforced break which initially had the jockey sidelined until the end of the season.
But Shinn was given the all-clear to resume at Sandown last week where he went winless as he was again at Caulfield last Saturday, managing two second placings.
Shinn said he was feeling the effects of a virus after partnering the $2.35 betting site favourite Ad Vitam to victory in the Sportsbet Jockey Watch Plate (1400m) before steering the $2.50 top elect Exit to claim the Tobin Brothers Celebrating Lives Handicap (1300m).
Shinn also won the Sportsbet Race Replays Handicap (1400m) aboard Kira ($6.50) while Williams went winless on Wednesday.
“I’m fit, but I’m battling a virus, so I don’t feel the best,” Shinn said.
“I’ve come back from a hot climate in Singapore and Phuket to the winter here.
“I’ve picked up a bit of a bug, so I don’t feel the best at the moment and hopefully I will be able to shrug that off in the next week or so.
“I’m riding 56 kilos today, which is around my minimum, but I would like to be feeling a bit better than I am, but that’s part and parcel of the job and we keep turning up.”
Shinn and Williams have a healthy respect for each other as they battle for premiership honours.
Williams is chasing a tenth premiership success and Shinn his fourth.
“I’ve been back a week now, and it was going to take a bit of time building the rides back up, but I knew I would be strong at the back-end of the season,” Shinn said.
“It’s a good battle. We all love Craig and what he does for the industry.
“He’s a legendary jockey and good for the sport, but it’s going to go down to the wire, and my focus is one meeting at a time and concentrating on the job at hand.”
The premiership battle moves to Flemington on Saturday where Shinn has rides in seven of the nine races programmed while Williams has eight.
Shinn has high hopes for the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young -trained Ad Vitam after the gelding scored his maiden victory at start number two.
“The benefit of that first start at Sale helped him,” Shinn said.
“He was good in the gates and jumped better. He hadn’t shown any tactical speed in his jump-outs, and I expected him to be back, but he got into a nice position, blended into the dip well, and quickened like a decent horse.
“I like the way he finished that race off. Mentally he’s still six months away but he’s got a good engine there.”
