With his hopes of riding in Melbourne dashed, Glen Boss is refocusing his attention on the Sydney spring carnival.
Glen BossĀ might be down, but he is never out.
The top jockey’s hopes of riding in Melbourne this spring were snuffed out when a government backflip forced him to return from a quarantine facility in the Northern Territory and head back to Sydney.
He had been booked to partner Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup favourite Incentivise and exciting sprinting colt Profiteer but is now faced with rebuilding his carnival dreams in Sydney, starting at Randwick on Saturday.
With many of the plum rides already snapped up, Boss admits he faces an uphill battle.
“I started to make pretty serious preparations to go down to Melbourne for the spring and to hook up with what I thought were some pretty serious animals,” Boss told Sydney’s Sky Sports radio.
“It has put me on the back foot for the whole spring, but you’ve got to look at the bigger picture.
“There’s so much more going on than just G Boss losing a few rides through the spring.”
The biggest carrot for Boss in Melbourne was emerging star Incentivise, who he believed could deliver him a longed-for Caulfield Cup victory.
It is the one major Boss needs to win to claim Australian racing’s grand slam of the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper.
With Boss stranded in Sydney, Brett Prebble has been confirmed as the new rider for Incentivise.
“It remains to be seen, but I thought I’d found the one horse that might be able to tick that box for me and on the strength of his trial the other day, he could be the next superstar horse in Australia,” Boss said.
Boss has five rides at Randwick, headed by smart filly Joyous LegendĀ in the Furious Stakes (1200m) and Rosehill Guineas runner-up Sky Lab, who kicks off his spring in the Sharp Extensive IT Handicap (1500m).
He also confirmed he’d had preliminary discussions with trainer Mick PriceĀ about riding Group 3 winner AyrtonĀ if they decide to bring the horse to Sydney.
“If he comes up here for an Epsom and the Golden Eagle, for sure I’d love to put my hand up for that ride,” Boss said.
“We’re way behind the eight ball at the moment. I’ve just got to pick up the pieces and hopefully I can now concentrate on what is a massive spring here in Sydney.”
