Top jockey Glen Boss has booted home a winner at his final Sydney meeting before he heads to Melbourne for the spring.
Glen Boss is closer to the end of his career than the beginning and the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey admits he is approaching every major racing carnival as if it will be his swansong.
For that reason, Boss has decided to base himself in Victoria this spring in a quest to capture an elusive Caulfield Cup, and he will head there in winning form after taking out Saturday’s Midway Handicap (1800m) at Randwick aboard Gemmahra.
After riding in Brisbane during the late autumn and winter, Boss underwent knee surgery and was sidelined for more than a month.
He returned to the saddle towards the end of last season and with three winners from his past six rides, the star hoop says he is back in form and excited for the spring.
“This will be my last ride at Randwick for a while so it’s nice to go out on a winning note,” Boss said.
“I feel like I’m riding really well now, my timing is starting to come back.”
Boss headed to Randwick for just two rides and came away with a win aboard Gemmahra and a third placing aboard Terwilliker in the Cliff Clare Handicap (2400m).
In his early 50s and still regarded as one of Australia’s premier jockeys, Boss needs to win a Caulfield Cup to claim racing’s grand slam, having already saluted in three Melbourne Cups, four Cox Plates and two Golden Slippers.
His desire to tick that box before he retires, and the likelihood the COVID-19 situation won’t allow Sydney jockeys to travel interstate this spring, has convinced Boss to head to Melbourne sooner rather than later.
“I’m 52 this month and I don’t feel that age but I’m getting towards that pointy end,” he said.
“I’m trying to truly make every major carnival like my last. That’s my mindset at the moment, I’m treating it like my last, so I’m going there with guns blazing.
“I just haven’t ticked off that Caulfield Cup. It’s a race I’d dearly love to win, and I can’t win it being in Sydney this year. We’re not going to be travelling so I had to make an early call.
“Hopefully I can get amongst it and get my foot in there and go good.”
Boss has enjoyed a good partnership with Gemmahra’s trainer Gwenda Markwell over many years and was thrilled to get a win for the Kembla Grange-based horsewoman.
Gemmarha ($10) had been racing consistently and appreciated a firmer surface and solid speed to take out the Midway by a long neck over Tochi ($41) with Bazooka ($5 fav) again making late ground for third another half-length away.
