Jockey Thomas Stockdale hopes to continue the adrenalin rush of becoming a first-time father with success at the highest level at Flemington.
Stockdale partners with the Simon Zahra-trained Onavuitton in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) on Saturday and while he knows he faces a stiff task in the three-year-old contest, the race can throw up a rough result.
He and wife Lily, the daughter of former jockey Peter Mertens, became proud parents to son Ronnie on Sunday and Stockdale said the adrenalin rush in becoming a new father was still evident.
“They got home on Tuesday, and I’ve been pretty much running on adrenalin since,” Stockdale said.
While the joys of parenthood are evident, Stockdale knows there is a job at hand on Saturday as he chases the biggest win of his career.
Earlier in the year he rode Unit Five to success in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast, but a Group 1 would mean so much more, especially in the week his son was born.
A $26 chance in betting Onavuitton is outsider compared to the big three – Observer ($2.30), Sixties ($2.90) and Planet Red ($4.80) – but the Australian Guineas can throw up some rough results with Lunar Fox scoring at $301 in 2021 while last year’s winner Feroce scored at $14.
Onavuitton has raced only four times and ran third in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last March.
He returned to win a Cranbourne maiden last month before running fourth to Observer in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 7.
“We were happy with his run,” Stockdale said.
“He was a month between runs, and they never sat up in the race. They ran along at a good clip the whole way and Observer, he’s a class horse.
“I thought he did a good job to keep rolling along on the hot speed like he did, especially off the gap between runs.
“He would have benefitted off it, and if you take the top three out and it’s a very even race.
“He always puts his best foot forward and his run in the Sires’ at Flemington was good and I think getting back to the bigger track at Flemington is only going to help him, especially stepping up to the mile.
“It’s a race that can throw up a rough result and Simon’s team is flying, they’re getting result after result and I’m confident they will have him in tip-top order on Saturday.”
