CHAMPION jockey Darren Beadman has been booked to reignite the Golden Slipper credentials of Gai Waterhouse's favourite More Joyous. Owner-breeder John Singleton cited safety concerns when confirming Beadman would take over from Nash Rawiller on More Joyous, which heads Golden Slipper markets.
"Darren will fly in and fly out after riding her in a barrier trial at Randwick on Friday," Singleton said yesterday, confirming Rawiller would not be out of pocket.
More Joyous roared into Golden Slipper favouritism when streeting rivals on debut but the campaign was thrown into chaos when the juvenile put on a bucking exhibition when beaten at odds of $1.40 in the Silver Slipper at Rosehill nine days ago.
Rawiller's pint-sized saddle slipped shortly after leaving the barrier and More Joyous went into rodeo mode, prompting Racing NSW stewards to order the filly to barrier trial before racing again. Stewards told Waterhouse the horse must trial in similar gear to that used on raceday.
"I'll use a two pound saddle [907 gram], a decent size saddle in the Slipper," Beadman said yesterday from Hong Kong where he now rides.
Singleton believes the Silver Slipper exhibition turned in by More Joyous should be a wake-up call for racing authorities.
"To me, great jockeys like Steven Arnold, Hughie [Bowman], Nash Rawiller shouldn't have to ride in eight ounce saddles," Singleton said. "One day we are going to realise how dangerous that is. I think they should weigh the jockeys and have a minimum weight for the saddle, for safety.
"Riding a horse at 54.5 kilograms with an eight ounce saddle, is that safe for horse and jockey?"
Jockeys are given a 1kg allowance for the safety vest, and Singleton wonders why a formula cannot be developed for saddles. "You can't make them put a 10 pound saddle on, it'll stuff the horses," he said. "If you said you had a minimum for the saddle at best 1kg it would save a lot of hiccups.
"Thank Christ, Nash was able to pull the filly up and she didn't hurt herself or him. I've put Nash on a percentage of the Golden Slipper winnings so he won't lose financially."
Should More Joyous emerge from the barrier trial intact, the filly will run in the Reisling Slipper at Rosehill on March 21, and a fortnight later in the Golden Slipper should it qualify.
Beadman said the gear used on More Joyous would be decided after laying eyes on the youngster.
"It all depends on the frame of a horse, that's where things can get a little dicey," Beadman said.
He revealed that the saddle on former champ Saintly continually shifted due to the gelding being long and narrow barrelled.
"If you haven't got the right gear to suit the frame of the horse, you run into problems," he said. "All-elastic girths are being used 90 per cent of the time but a single, or double elastic with not much stretch in it might be used on the filly.
"The all-elastics, there is too much give in them."
Singleton admitted it had been a tough call to dump Rawiller, who had informed the owner-breeder last year More Joyous was something special.
"I admire Nash and love him as a jockey but not at 54.5kg and no saddle, as against Darren Beadman with a saddle," Singleton said.
Beadman will ride Singleton's outstanding mare Tuesday Joy in the $US5 million ($7.8m) Dubai Duty Free at the World Cup meeting in the United Arab Emirates on March 28. Corey Brown was on board when Tuesday Joy won a fourth group 1, the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
"You know what Darren called Corey this morning, 'Spack, a good fill-in'," Singleton quipped.
"She'll have a spell in Europe after Dubai, and Darren will be definitely be available for the [Prix de l'] Arc de Triomphe in France in October." SLIPPER MARKET
$5.50 More Joyous
$6.50 Real Saga
$9 Melito
$11 Rostova *
$13 Sunday Rose
$15 Tickets, Horizons, Reward For Effort, Delago Bolt
$18 Manhattan Rain,
Wanted
* Not nominated
TAB Sportsbet
Email a friend