Trainer Ciaron Maher has put out an SOS for UK rider Jamie Spencer to partner Light Infantry Man at Caulfield.
Light Infantry Man is set to run in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) on Saturday and Maher has been in touch with Spencer about his availability to ride the gelding.
Spencer was the regular rider for Light Infantry Man in the UK and came to Australia to partner the gelding in the Golden Eagle at Rosehill in 2022.
Light Infantry Man returned to the UK post the Golden Eagle where Spencer continued his association with the gelding until he returned to Australia for the 2023 King Charles III Stakes at Randwick.
Zac Purton had the ride on that occasion with Jason Collett, Craig Williams , Mark Zahra, John Allen, Blake Shinn, James Mcdonald, Chad Schofield and Ethan Brown all having ridden the gelding since settling in Australia.
McDonald and Brown are the only two riders based in Australia to have won on Light Infantry Man with Brown winning twice at Group 1 level on the gelding, including last year’s Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.
With Brown and Zahra sidelined through suspension and McDonald riding in Sydney on the weekend, Maher said he had put in a call to Spencer to see if he was available.
“Ethan Brown’s suspended, Mark Zahra’s suspended, so I was talking to Jamie Spencer,” Maher said.
“I’ve still got to confirm that, but he knows the horse quite well.
“He rode the horse out here in the Golden Eagle and in a lot of Group 1 races in Europe, so it would be good if he came out, but we just need to firm that up.
“He is a quirky horse, and Ethan obviously gets on very well with him.
“He came through his first-up run in great order. He’s feeling great and doing everything right.
“It looks a nice race for him at weight-for-age over the 1800 metres.”
