Jeff Lloyd's has reached 93 metropolitan winners for the season
Jeff Lloyd’s has reached 93 metropolitan winners for the season, a total which would have won all but four of the previous 100 Brisbane jockeys premierships.
Records have been kept of Brisbane jockeys’ premierships since 1918 and the statistics bear tribute to Lloyd’s freakish first 6-1/2 months of the season.
He rode a treble on Saturday, going past Ken Russell’s full season total of 92 recorded in 1986-87.
Chris Munce holds the Brisbane record at 103 followed by Mick Dittman who rode 97 winners (1977-78) and 97-1/2 winners (1979-80) and Scott Seamer 96 (2000-01).
Lloyd has ridden 118 winners overall this term.
The former South African is a family man who likes to keep low-key and is almost reluctant to talk about his achievements.
But trainer Toby Edmonds, who has shared 43 winners with Lloyd this season, is more than happy to sing his praises.
“Jeff rides trackwork and is a thinker about horses. We had a winner on Saturday with Raffinato which is a perfect example,” Edmonds sad.
“I thought she might be one run short but Jeff was confident and worked out exactly the right way to ride her. He is a freak”
Lloyd and Edmonds will have to create some history if they are to win the Group One Golden Slipper with Houtzen next month.
Houtzen has not raced since her win in the $2 million Magic Millions Classic on January 14.
Edmonds said he has two options for Houtzen’s only run before the Golden Slipper – an Eagle Farm two-year-old handicap on March 4 or the Black Opal at Canberra on March 5.
Three horses – Dance Hero, Phelan Ready and Capitalist – have won the Millions-Golden Slipper double but all had a lead-up run in Sydney.
The only horse to win the Black Opal-Golden Slipper double is Catbird in 1999.
