It has taken two months, but Jeff Lloyd’s four winners at the Gold Coast put him back where punters expect him to be – leading the Brisbane metropolitan jockeys’ premiership.
Lloyd has won the past two metropolitan titles and in 2016-17 smashed Chris Munce’s record of 103 winners for a season with 137 victories.
He had a slow start to this season while serving two suspensions but he has gradually been getting back to his top form.
At the Gold Coast metropolitan meeting on Wednesday, Lloyd had five rides and won on four of them with Creidne ($2.50), Deer Mountain ($2.05), Cascata Rossa ($2.50), and Sanctuary Cove ($2.50) saluting.
It took him to 17 winners for the season, three clear of Robbie Fradd.
Lloyd rode five winners in a day at Eagle Farm last September but his best effort in Australia was seven wins at Caloundra last November.
Creidne and Deer Mountain were having their first starts for Lloyd’s main backer in Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds.
“They are all well-bred mares and the thing is from a breeding point of view is to first get a metropolitan win and then a Saturday city win,” Edmonds said.
Sanctuary Cove, who is a half-brother to Edmonds’s smart galloper The Amateur, came from the outside barrier to win.
“When the barriers came out Jeff rang us and said to still start because Sanctuary Cove would win on his trials,” Edmonds said.
