Persistence pays for Kyle Wilson-Taylor

Image: Darren Winningham

Punters like to talk about value bets … even better they like to find them.

Jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor answered that call … big time … in the last week but, unfortunately for them, most punters were caught napping as Wilson-Taylor piloted two long shots … Tick Tock Queen ($71) on Saturday at Eagle farm, and Petunia ($31) on Wednesday at Doomben .. to hard fought victories.

They could perhaps claim some excuse for missing Tick Tock Queen in the Gateway as Antino, Tony Gollan’s other runner in the race, started favourite at $2.90 and there was absolutely no serious pointer to the mare. Add in the worry fact, going into the race, Wilson-Taylor had been struggling with his results for some time and you certainly could make the case for leaving Tick Tock Queen out.

That’s when the game can come back to bite you.

Tick Tock Queen didn’t just win in a pressurised finish … showing her incredible fighting qualities … but she came home under an inspired Kyle Wilson-Taylor ride, who similarly showed true grit and determination to match his riding prowess when forging a tight path aboard Tick Tock Queen over the pressure-filled concluding stages to claim the biggest win of his riding career.

It was a spectacular ‘comeback’ … if you want to call it that … for the young rider and the relevance of the moment was not lost on Wilson-Taylor who was very emotional after the win.

The display of that emotion was unusual, but what Wilson-Taylor has always been since HRO first spoke to him, is absolutely honest about his situation … be it past or present … and, in that regard, this situation was no different.

“The stats showed that I had been out of form,” acknowledged Wilson-Taylor, “but I feel like I have been riding pretty well.

“Every jockey goes through a bad spell on occasions, For whatever reason, I hadn’t been riding as many winners as I had been doing previously …. and my claim is running out … so it was playing on my mind, especially when you hear a few people knocking you.

“I think every apprentice goes through a time when it gets tough mentally when you move towards the end of your apprenticeship.

“To be coming through that and then to produce a big race winner was huge.

“That’s why I was so emotional because there were times when I was probably doubting yourself because I wasn’t putting the wins on the board. I can’t say there weren’t times when I felt down, but I just had to keep going … and, also, to see Tony … and how happy he was … that made me emotional as well.

“Tony (Gollan) put me on a winner (Miss Tambo) at the Sunshine Coast the start of the month which ended the drought. I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes with him.

“I ride work there every day now. I just started by annoying Cav … and then Tony. I can’t thank Tony and Cav enough. This wouldn’t have happened without them.

“Tony put me on early doors when I first came to town … and then, for a bit there, I didn’t have a lot of rides for him, and now that he is starting to put me back on it is obviously helping my confidence.

“Tick Tock Queen as obviously a big price … but for Tony to have the faith in me to put me on in a race like that and to get the job done was huge.

“I obviously hadn’t won a big race yet. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t know it was going to be then.

“The starting price was never a concern for me. When you are riding for a trainer like Tony Gollan, any horse he sends out is well placed, they are set for their races and are ready to go.

“When things are bad, you have just got to get out of bed and go. You have got to do it … you know. That is my philosophy at least.

“Things will turn … even if sometimes you feel like it won’t. It will. That’s just life … and that’s the way I went about it.

Wilson-Taylor also shone on Petunia at Doomben on Wednesday, scoring another very welcome victory, this time for his boss, trainer Kelly Schweida, in a last to first win which turned out to be an inch prefect ride.

Craig Cavanagh, assistant trainer to Tony Gollan, gave some further interesting insight into the recent progress of Kyle Wilson-Taylor … and how he persisted in his quest to turn things around.

“His partner, Angela Jones, is our apprentice and Kyle just kept on turning up at the back gate asking … ‘can I canter one … can I work one.’

“I kept on putting him on hold … and he just kept coming.

“Eventually we weakened. I picked out one horse for him to work … Miss Tambo. He won on her the other night, and he’s been riding her every day.

“He did everything right on Miss Tambo … and then, with Tick Tock Queen being given a light weight we gave him the opportunity to jump on her and he rode her very, very well.

“He got those wins through sheer persistence and thoroughly deserved to be rewarded.”