Queensland’s Jim Byrne and Matt McGillivray will have a special incentive to win the Origin Jockey Series in Brisbane.
The series will be run over five heats at Doomben and Eagle Farm on Friday and Saturday respectively in conjunction with stakes racing on both days.
The Origin series is in its fifth year but Queensland is yet to win it despite having the home ground advantage, a fact which has not gone unnoticed among interstate jockeys.
New Zealand, NSW and Western Australia (joint winners), Victoria and Tasmania have each won the series.
“It is time we delivered and you can be sure we will be out to turn things around this year,” Byrne said.
This year’s series has a strong line-up of jockeys who have ridden about 170 Group One winners.
The fields for Friday and Saturday’s meeting will be released on Wednesday with jockeys drawn after that.
Eagle Farm will feature a new race, The Gateway, a $250,000 event for four-year-olds which provides ballot-free exemption to the 2020 Stradbroke Handicap and has attracted 15 entries.
The important lead-up races to the Magic Millions 2YO Classic – the Phelan Ready Stakes and Calaway Gal Stakes – will be run at Doomben on Friday.
There are nine colts and geldings entered for the Phelan Ready and 15 fillies nominated for the Calaway Gal.
Origin Jockeys Series:
Queensland: Jim Byrne and Matt McGillivray;
NSW: Michael Rodd and Kathy O’Hara;
Victoria: Luke Nolen and Brett Prebble;
South Australia: Dwayne Dunn and Jason Holder;
Tasmania: Craig Newitt and Brendon McCoull; and
New Zealand: Michael Dee and Samantha Collett.
Past winners
2015: New Zealand;
2016: NSW and Western Australia;
2017: Victoria
2018: Tasmania.
