Cairns Cup: Young jockey’s special connection with ‘cranky’ Salesman
Krysten Swaffer will experience one of the biggest moments of her career when she rides in the Cairns Cup for the first time on Saturday and is thankful she will do it on the back of one of her best mates.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Krysten Swaffer will experience one of the biggest moments of her career when she rides in the Cairns Cup for the first time on Saturday and is thankful she will do it on the back of one of her best mates.
Swaffer and veteran stayer Salesman have forged a special bond, combining for four wins including their last start when the Trevor Rowe-trained gelding battled on gamely to win the Benchmark 65 Handicap (1900m) on Cairns Newmarket Race Day.
Horse and rider will be striving for the highlights of their careers on Saturday when they race in the $150,000 Cairns Cup (2100m) at Cannon Park.
Swaffer, who grew up in Gordonvale, knows it is a case of being thrown into the deep end against recent Townsville Cup winner Fortification as well as other formidable opponents.
MORE NEWS:
Rough ride is over for comeback kid Morrison
But the 22-year-old apprentice jockey is excited about riding in her home region’s premier race for the first time in what will be the biggest race of her career so far, and is grateful she gets to do it on Salesman – a horse she says is “her heart horse”.
“We just get along really well,” Swaffer said.
“He doesn’t seem to like many people so he kind of chooses you, and he chose me.
“He just makes the job so enjoyable and I really enjoy riding him every day. We’ve got that bit of a connection on the ground, trackwork and racing, and we’ve won four now together.
“He’s my favourite of the stable.”
Rowe, who won the 2016 Cairns Cup with Chateau Dettori, said the connection between Swaffer and Salesman was particularly special when you considered the type of horse he was.
“He’s a real cranky horse as a rule and he’s difficult to handle in the stable,” he said.
“He’ll have a bite of you and have a kick at people at different times, he doesn’t like other horses. If we put him in the wash bay we let everyone know he’s in there because he’s just a cranky bugger.
“He’s just a very troublesome horse and a very anxious horse and, to be quite honest, we probably wouldn’t have him here except for Krysten.
“She’s just got a rapport with him. Anyone else gets in the box he wants to bite them and kick them, but Krysten can get in the stable with him and he rubs his head up and down her back. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something. She loves the horse and the horse loves her.”
Swaffer picked up her maiden Far North carnival victory almost a year ago to the day, piloting Salesman to victory in the Class 5 Handicap (1500m) on 2020 Cairns Cup Race Day.
She’s the only jockey trusted to ride the eight-year-old, having taken the reins in 19 of his past 20 starts – with her older brother Bradyn riding on the other occasion.
Swaffer knows Salesman like the back of her hand, and says she will just ride her own race on Saturday.
“It’s great going into the race on Salesman just because we do have that bond and I know how he rolls and what he likes to do in the race,” she said.
“I’m really excited that it’s on him more than any other horse, and for the team and the owners, they’ve stuck with me day in and day out with Salesman, so it would be really good to get the win for them.”
Salesman was lumped with 63kg last weekend, with Swaffer’s apprentice claim bringing it down to 61kg.
While she can’t claim her 2kg allowance in this Saturday’s Cairns Cup, Salesman will get a big drop in the weights, down to 54kg.
“It’s probably the hardest field he’s going to be in, so every bit helps,” Swaffer said.
Rowe said Swaffer “got thrown in the deep end” as an apprentice jockey during the Covid pandemic, but had come a long way over the last 18 months.
“She never got to do much country experience – when Covid came in she’d just got her licence,” he said.
“She’s been thrown in the deep end at TAB meetings, where normally she’d just be starting to ride at TAB meetings now under the old scheme.
“People put a lot of expectation on her but they forget that she’s only been riding for 18 months, but in another 18 months she’ll be one of the leading riders here.”
Swaffer said she was determined to make the most of the situation.
“It was hard with Covid but it did also open up a lot of opportunities,” she said.
“It got me into provincials really early on, so there were a lot of upsides to it, and obviously there were a few downsides, but it’s starting to ease up a little bit.
“It’s just really good to have crowds back – it’s always good to have a crowd over the fence cheering you home.”
Rowe said Swaffer’s ride in the Cairns Cup was reward for her hard work and dedication.
“She’s an apprentice and apprentices can’t claim, but she rides the horse well and the horse travels well for her, so it will be a big thrill,” he said.
“The first 18 months of her career and she gets to race in Cairns’ premier race.”
Rowe said Salesman’s owners, former Cairns Jockey Club president John Smith and committee member Mel Yelaska were “tickled pink” about the prospects of having a runner in the big race, let alone if he was good enough to win it.
Originally published as Cairns Cup: Young jockey’s special connection with ‘cranky’ Salesman
Queenslanders fall short as Cairns Tennis International finishes with a nailbiter
Arguably the best tennis match of the Cairns Tennis International was saved for the very last one of the tournament. READ ALL ABOUT THE FINALS HERE >>>
$13m on Friday, $20m on Monday: School cashes in on vote grab
Labor has thrown $20m at a Far North Queensland school just days after the LNP pledged $13m, with the cash splash sparking an inevitable war of words.