Jockey Skye Bogenhuber has a leading chance to complete a successful homecoming when she rides multiple stakes winner Rudy in the Toowoomba Cup.
Bogenhuber won the Toowoomba Cup on Bang On in 2013, the same year she completed the feature double by winning the Weetwood Handicap on Miss Imagica.
She is rapidly closing in on 600 career winners and nearly half of those have been on her home track at Toowoomba where she has won five premierships.
Bogenhuber moved to Perth in August last year and rode successfully but felt the opportunities were better in Queensland and moved back to Toowoomba in November.
Rudy, topweight in Saturday’s Cup with 60kg, is headed to Sydney for his third tilt at the JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick if he comes through Saturday’s race well.
The winner of $1 million prize money Rudy was fifth at Doomben over 1600m at his first run back from a spell two weeks ago.
Trainer Helen Page decided the Toowoomba Cup (2000m) would be an ideal lead-up to the Sydney trip and Bogenhuber’s knowledge of the Clifford Park track would be an asset.
Bogenhuber said it was a great thrill to ride a class horse such as Rudy in a big race even though he has drawn wide in 14.
“He is the best performed runner and has paid for it at the weights but he has shown he can carry those types of weights,” she said.
“I have ridden some winners for Helen over the years and I would naturally like to ride a feature race winner for her.”
Bogenhuber pointed out the Toowoomba Cup was becoming a race for class horses with Pornichet, who went on to take the Group One Doomben Cup, winning in 2015 and the top stayer Cylinder Beach taking last year’s race.
She hopes a win in the Cup will result in more rides in the Brisbane metropolitan area.
“People say I ride a lot of Toowoomba winners but that is because I have most of my rides here,” Bogenhuber said.
“It is hard to get a full book in Brisbane when you aren’t based there but things have been going OK and a Cup win would certainly help.”
