History-making jockey Rachael Murray is hoping to guide Wouldnt It Be Nice to his own long-awaited achievement when they pair up in the Listed June Stakes at Randwick.
Fresh from becoming the first female rider to record a century of wins in NSW in a season, Murray now plans to wind back the clock on the six-year-old whose last win was in this race in 2015.
Since then, the gelding has had 28 starts in which the closest he has come to winning was a three-quarters of a length second to Le Cordon Bleu in the Listed Canterbury Classic on New Year’s Eve.
Murray was aboard that day and believes Wouldnt It Be Nice can break his drought on the heavy track forecast for Saturday.
“He loves the wet so he will definitely run an honest race,” Murray said.
“He’s freshened up again and he’s very consistent.
“He definitely comes right back into it with the heavy track and the better horses away (in Brisbane). That gives him a good chance.”
Murray rarely rides in Sydney with 96 of her wins this season at country meetings, but she is happy to make the trip from Muswellbrook for long-term supporter Paul Perry, the trainer of Petrossian who gave her the milestone win at Tamworth on Tuesday.
“He’s been very supportive of me throughout my whole career so it was nice to get my hundredth winner for Paul,” she said.
Murray said Wouldnt It Be Nice lacked speed early but would “keep ploughing through the ground” in search of his sixth career win.
The 27-year-old is also booked to ride another horse adept in the wet, the Marc Conners-trained Tennessee Hussy, in a benchmark handicap (1400m) while Mr Pumblechook is set to encounter a heavy track for the first time in the Highway Handicap (1000m).
Murray was confident drawing barrier five would enable Tennessee Hussy to show her best but the Cody Morgan-trained Mr Pumblechook is venturing into the unknown for his city debut.
“He’s a very consistent country galloper and he deserves his chance there but I’m not sure how he’ll go on a heavy track,” she said.
