Hard-working jockey Brodie Loy is hoping to farewell Sydney Saturday racing with a winner before beginning a new chapter in Queensland next month.
The stand-alone meeting at Hawkesbury will be Loy’s last weekend in NSW before he relocates to the Gold Coast where he will do the bulk of riding for Annabel Neasham’s new satellite operation.
The pair has enjoyed a fruitful partnership since Neasham took out her training licence at the start of the 2020-21 season with Loy riding her first three winners and many more since, particularly on the provincial and country circuits.
But Loy is keen to take his chances in the city and with Sydney’s jockey ranks bursting at the seams with talent, he sees the move north as a great opportunity to make his mark in Brisbane.
“I feel like I have that itch I want to scratch in the metro ranks, but I just don’t see myself scratching it in Sydney over the next four or five years,” Loy said.
“I’m going up to Queensland, it’s a fresh start, I’ve got a great stable behind me and I’ll try to really get in among the metro ranks up there.
“I’d like to think that over the last two years I’ve set myself up as a person who works extremely hard and will go anywhere and get the job done.”
Loy’s brace of rides on Saturday are both for Neasham, highlighted by Olmedo in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m).
The horse arrives at the race third-up after resuming with a solid midfield effort behind Gem Song in the Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m) at Newcastle before taking on Group 1 company when unplaced behind Cascadian in the All Aged Stakes (1400m).
Olmedo came off a well-beaten performance in the Doncaster Mile to win a Listed race in Brisbane last campaign and Loy is hoping for a similar form rebound.
“He has had testing tracks and high-pressure races at his last two starts so he will strip a lot fitter for that,” he said.
“He has definitely got the ability when he shows up.”
Loy and Neasham also combine with two-year-old Invasive in the Clarendon Stakes (1400m).
The colt is still a maiden after four starts but has gone down fighting at his past two, finishing runner-up to Green Shadows at Goulburn and Owen County at Kembla Grange, both of whom will be among his rivals on Saturday.
“He’s tough as nails,” Loy said.
“Whether he’s a topline two-year-old, I don’t know but he leaves nothing on the track. He gives his all and it gets him a long way with his attitude,” Loy said.
