Ric McMahon couldn’t have wished for a better advertisement of his riding skills than his winning double at Warwick Farm on Wednesday but is no closer to deciding if he’ll make a permanent move to Sydney.
McMahon, 23, returns to his home town of Brisbane on Saturday when he has a strong book of seven rides at Doomben after landing a double aboard the Clarry Conners-trained Manor House and Barry Lockwood’s Tokamak in Sydney.
Connors has been courting McMahon’s services for some time and is keen for the former champion Queensland apprentice to make a permanent move south.
McMahon was due to make his Sydney debut for Conners at Canterbury a couple of weeks ago but couldn’t get a flight from Brisbane due to the Chilean volcanic ash cloud.
McMahon, who won three apprentices’ premierships in Brisbane and had a stint in Singapore, was delighted to make his mark so soon in Sydney but is in no rush to decide whether he’ll make the move permanently.
“Nothing is set in stone yet and I’m still not sure what to do yet,” McMahon said.
“Clarry has asked me to go down but I want to weigh up all my options first.
“Yesterday was more of a test run to see how we get on together.
“It was good to ride a double and it’s put my name out there.”
McMahon often rode in Sydney when he was the stable jockey for John Hawkes’ Brisbane stable four years ago.
He is keen to keep his winning momentum going at Doomben but the barrier draw hasn’t been kind to him with his best chance, Easy Running in the Mother QTIS Two-Years-Old Handicap (1110m).
“I’ve got seven rides at Doomben and I thought Easy Running was the best but he’s got a bad draw,” McMahon said.
The Desleigh Forster-trained Easy Running has drawn barrier 19 but will come in five positions if the emergencies fail to obtain runs.
Forster considered sending Easy Running to Sydney for the Group Two Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill in the autumn but instead decided to spell the youngster after he was runner-up to Mr Favulous last start over 1000 metres at Eagle Farm on March 19.
Forster bought the son of Easy Rocking at the Magic Million sales for $16,000 before recommending him to long-time client and former bookmaker Doug Forbes.
AAP TURF