Jake Noonan had nothing to lose when he decided to turn up and start riding trackwork at Caulfield on Saturday mornings.
And the jockey got his reward when he partnered the Mick Price-trained Oregon’s Day to a Listed win in Saturday’s Thoroughbred Club Cup at Caulfield.
It was Noonan’s second Listed win for a Caulfield trainer this month after he guided the Henry Dwyer-trained Precious Gem to victory in the Anniversary Vase.
Noonan was so keen to stick with two-year-old Oregon’s Day he phoned Price after the filly finished second on debut in a recent Terang maiden.
Connections stuck with him and Oregon’s Day fought back after being headed by the well-backed Highland Beat to win by a half-neck.
“I just really liked that 200 metre sprint she gave me that day at Terang,” Noonan said.
“She might have just peaked on her run and was a bit green but you don’t have an electric turn of foot like that without having class and ability. And I thought with her weight today, any sort of nice run and she’s going to be hard to beat.”
Noonan said with the encouragement of his father, Mornington trainer Tony Noonan, he started going to Caulfield to ride trackwork last spring.
“I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t riding on Saturdays in town,” Noonan said.
“My dad said, `what have you go to lose. If you don’t get a ride, who cares’. I was going nowhere.
“I never rang a trainer. I just lobbed up off my own bat every Saturday morning and I think that showed the trainers I was willing to put in the time and effort.”
Noonan said since riding trackwork he had found Price to be loyal.
“You do the work, you get the rides,” Noonan said.
“That’s how it works with Mick and you know where you stand in the pecking order. Froggy (Craig Newitt) is number one. Olly (Damien Oliver) chimes in and they usually go for the class rides and that’s fine.
“But if you’re there doing the work, Mick will make sure you’re getting rides and results out of it.”
Oregon’s Day ($16), whose ownership includes Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Bob Skelton, defeated Highland Beat, a firmer from $8 to $4.60, with 1-3/4 lengths to Fromparis Withlove ($9.50).
Price was impressed with Oregon’s Day’s fight on Saturday but said she was likely to have spell with the spring in mind.
