It is fitting Thomas Huet will ride Joueur at Randwick but a connection of a different kind will provide the French jockey with his best chance on Saturday.
Translated into English, Joueur means player and as a two-year-old by Casino Prince there is unlikely to be a better-named horse racing at the meeting.
While Joueur is an outsider in the TAB Place Multi Plate, Huet will be on one of the favourites when he rides the Paul Perry-trained Wouldnt It Be Nice in the Winter Dash.
Perry and Huet have struck a formidable partnership, highlighted by Wouldnt It Be Nice’s June Stakes win and a midweek city victory with Surfin’ Safari.
Wouldnt It Be Nice started at double-figure odds in the June Stakes but the in-form stable said it would be foolish to underestimate the sprinter for a second time.
“When the combination is running hot, the punters should stick to them,” Perry’s son Shannon said.
“Huet and Perry are going off and hopefully it continues on Saturday.”
Wouldnt It Be Nice acted on soft ground to beat Avoid Lightning last time and his strike-rate is even better in heavy going, the expected track rating on Saturday.
“He’s a dead-set winter horse. All his Randwick wet form is as strong as and even if the sun was out for the next 48 hours it would still be soft,” Perry said.
Huet, who brought up his 50th win for the season at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, will also ride Scratch Me Lucky, Kokomo and Ghost Protocol for the Perry yard.
His remaining Randwick ride will be on the Gary Portelli-trained Once Again.
