Jockeys Taylor, Wiggins and Sewell in six-race program at Rockhampton

Jockeys Jason Taylor, Ryan Wiggins and Adam Sewell, who between them rode eight winners on the 10-race Cairns Cup card last Saturday, are expected to continue their winning ways on Tuesday at Rockhampton.

Trainer Craig Smith and jockey Adam Sewell team with Remlaps Lass and Artopia. Photo: Tony McMahon.

Jockeys Jason Taylor, Ryan Wiggins and Adam Sewell, who between them rode eight winners on the 10-race Cairns Cup card last Saturday, are expected to continue their winning ways on Tuesday.

They have multiple winning chances at the Rockhampton Jockey Club’s six-race TAB program which starts at 12.52pm.

Gold Coast based Taylor, 51, with approximately 1500 winners to his credit including the 2011 GR 1 Stradbroke Handicap on Sincero, rode five winners at Cairns.

At Callaghan Park on Tuesday, he teams with trainer Kerrod Smyth on strong hopes Kaytee Reinado (Race 1 – TAB 5), Fay Faye (R 2 – TAB 6) and Nano Star (R 6 – TAB 9).

As well, Taylor rides John Manzelmann’s outsider Mishani Twilight (R 3 – TAB 10) and Ian Prizeman’s Thorben (R 4 – TAB 9).

Saturday’s “Cairns five” – Counter Command ($7.50), Lady Of Fortune ($26.00), Gulf Of Lion ($3.60), Prime Ruler ($5.00) and Game Theory ($15.00) was a career best for Taylor in his 34 years of race riding.

“I had never even ridden four in a day in Australia. I achieved four winners at both Singapore and Mauritius when I was riding over there but never in Australia,” Taylor said.

“I was really quite pleased with myself when Prime Ruler made it my fourth up there on Saturday. I said to myself I’ve done it. Then when the last race winner came home it put a real cherry on the day.”

He feels Nano Star is his best ride on Tuesday.

“She is awkwardly drawn and really needs cover quickly but with a bit of luck and if it maps out, she should be hard to beat,” he said.

Wiggins, 41, currently Rockhampton’s premier rider, landed a Cairns double, and he too is a GR 1 winning jockey.

He teams with trainer Ricky Vale on The Eighth I Am (R 1 – TAB 3), Valentina Express (R 2 -TAB 8) plus the strong prospect Freckle Rock (R 4 -TAB 4), as well as Give Me Chills (R 6 – TAB 10).

Vale and Wiggins have been a formidable team, winning 79 races together (Racing And Sports) with Cup successes by Absolut Artie and Namazu among the mix.

Brisbane-based Wiggins with Frequent Flyer points to burn, also holds a booking for the Nick Walsh trained Chameleon Choice (R 5 – TAB 7).

The Sunshine Coast based jockey Adam Sewell, 27, goes racing at Callaghan Park on a high after landing his biggest plumb ever - the $150K Cairns Cup (2100m) on outsider The Driller ($51.00).

Trainer Craig Smith and jockey Adam Sewell team with Remlaps Lass and Artopia. Photo: Tony McMahon.

Sewell and his regular patron, the Roma trainer Craig Smith, team with each-way prospects Remlap’s Lass R 2 -TAB 5) and Artopia (R 3 -TAB 5) on the Rockhampton card.

As well, Sewell rides Peter Fleming’s Regal Field (R 1 – TAB 6), Tracy Simmons Elvaire (R 4-TAB 10), Kris Hansen’s Kahaylaan (R 5-TAB 6) and Jared Wehlow’s Sprites (R 6 -TAB 6).

With almost 300 winners during his 10 years of jockeying, Sewell is building up a solid fan base at Callaghan Park where with 51 winners it is his most successful circuit.

“Yes, I have ridden a lot of winners at Rocky, but I also seem to have considerable luck at Mackay,” he said.

“Both tracks have been very kind to me, and I do get a lot of support from the trainers at both centres for which I am very thankful.”

Among those are Mackay’s John Manzelmann for whom Sewell won the Cairns Cup on The Driller.

“That is certainly (Cairns Cup) my biggest win. The only other Cup race I recollect winning was the Bingara Cup (NSW) not long after I started riding but that was entirely different to winning a Cairns Cup,” he said.

A search of the records (Racing and Sports) revealed that Sewell’s first race winner was aboard Ransom Moment in the 2014 Bingara Cup.

Coincidentally, some 1887km south of Cairns last Saturday just an hour before Sewell and The Driller claimed the $87,000 first prize for the Cairns Cup, race favourite Camerlengo won the 2023 Bingara Cup (1300m), winning $6950 for its connections.

Donations will be sought at Callaghan Park races on Tuesday for the John Poots Appeal, the Rockhampton trainer who has undergone multiple brain surgery in Brisbane for a horse-related accident last month.