Clare Lindop has kicked clear in the Adelaide jockeys’ premiership but Victorian-based apprentice Josh Cartwright is out to start bridging the gap again.
Cartwright has made his mark in the past couple of months, venturing across the border for Saturday meetings in Adelaide and regularly riding winners.
He has ridden 19 winners in Adelaide from just 62 rides, but with a big day of four winners last Saturday Clare Lindop has opened up a four-win lead on her nearest rival in the premiership with Cartwright another win back.
Geelong-based Cartwright says heading to Adelaide each weekend is all about opportunities, and his rides on Saturday includes two early favourites and two second favourites.
“I think in any position you are in, the main thing is to go where you are going to get an opportunity,” Cartwright said.
“Melbourne has been good to me, I’ve had plenty of good opportunities, but it’s very hard to get the number of rides in Melbourne that I get in Adelaide.
“I’ll have seven or eight rides in Adelaide and they’ll all be single-figure odds. They’re quality rides and it’s very hard to get those types of rides in Melbourne.”
Cartwright hit the front in the premiership before a taking a week off in Dubai over the new year.
He went winless last Saturday as Lindop took the limelight.
“I’m sitting up there third in the premiership, I sort of got knocked off my perch a bit when Clare Lindop rode four winners last weekend, but it will give me something to work towards,” Cartwright said.
“There’s some Melbourne trainers taking some nice horses over there this weekend so there’s some great opportunities there.”
