The adage of a jockey having a saddle will travel does not sit with South Australian trainer Garret Lynch who uses the motto ‘have horse float, will travel’.
Lynch racks up thousands of kilometres a year travelling around South Australia from his base at Murray Bridge and currently sits on top of the state’s trainers’ premiership race with 65 winners, 21 clear of Phillip Stokes.
As a guide, Lynch’s tally is made up of city metropolitan winners, 35 on the provincial circuit and 27 at some of far-flung country tracks like Ceduna, Roxby Downs, Quorn and Penong and not to mention Lock and Pooncarie as well.
“I place them where they can win and if that means if it’s 10 or 11 hours away, I’ll head off,” Lynch said.
Lynch will break new ground on Saturday when he heads to Flemington to contest the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) with Alainge, his best horse to date, who will be looking to secure a start in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) in November.
The last time Lynch saddled a runner at Flemington was in the 2014 Bagot Handicap when Callmedan finished seventh.
Alainge gave Lynch his biggest victory in 15 years of training when successful in the Listed Port Adelaide Cup at Morphettville on May 2.
Lynch began thinking about Saturday’s race after Alainge finished fifth in the Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville in March.
“She ran a really good race in the Adelaide Cup and was just way too far back and finished off really strongly,” Lynch said.
“After getting the two miles for the first time, I thought we’d head down this direction and try and qualify for the Melbourne Cup.
“Ask any trainer, and their aim is to win the Melbourne Cup, and I’m no different.”
Lynch said he had only previously had two runners at headquarters and that Alainge was his best chance, ‘by far’.
“My early training career, I was only 23 or 24 when I had my other Flemington runners,” Lynch said.
“My last runner was seventh in the Bagot.
“Back then I was based at Murray Bridge but every summer I would base myself at Cranbourne for three or four months and I did that for about four years then.”
Harry Grace, who was apprenticed to the late Robbie Laing who Lynch stayed with on trips to Melbourne, takes the ride aboard Alainge on Saturday.
Lynch has been instrumental in getting Grace, who rode Alainge in the Port Adelaide Cup victory, to relocate to South Australia.
“I’m the one that convinced him to come over, so I’ll stay loyal to him,” Lynch said.
“He’ll ride her over there on Saturday and then we’ll head to the Sandown Cup after the Ramsden, and he’ll ride her there as well.
“He hasn’t got a base yet, but he’ll float around between Murray Bridge and Morphettville and try an establish himself over here.”
