Melbourne Cup winner Sam Freedman believes Queensland jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor can be a success in Melbourne or Sydney

Melbourne Cup winner Sam Freedman has outlined why young Queensland jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor can one day be a star in Melbourne or Sydney.

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Sam Freedman says young Queensland jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor has all the attributes to excel in the competitive Melbourne or Sydney jockeys’ rooms.

Freedman, who trains with his dad Anthony, has called on Wilson-Taylor to ride a pair of horses at Rosehill on Saturday, including Punch Lane in the $1.5m Alan Brown Stakes.

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Wilson-Taylor forged a strong working relationship with the Freedmans during the Queensland winter carnival, including riding Punch Lane to score the Listed Glasshouse Handicap.

Freedman, who famously won the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double last year with Without A Fight, has already spoken to Wilson-Taylor about the prospect of riding full-time in Victoria one day.

“I’ve spoken to him about Melbourne. He has got a partner (fellow jockey Angela Jones) and commitments in Queensland, so it wasn’t something he was open to just yet,” Freedman said.

“But we have spoken to him about it.

“He is certainly up to the grade (in Melbourne) and his application to work is great and he is very hungry for success.

“He’s very balanced on a horse and he rides light, he is aggressive when you need him to be.

“I would think at some stage when he feels it is right, he is certainly up to either Melbourne or Sydney.”

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Kyle Wilson-Taylor has received strong support from the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Freedman said it is clear for all to see the high esteem the stable holds Wilson-Taylor – booking him to ride Punch Lane and also well-performed stablemate Peace Treaty (The Nivison) at Rosehill on Saturday.

The association between stable and jockey blossomed during the winter carnival when the Freedmans saw the dedication and desire of Wilson-Taylor from close at hand.

Wilson-Taylor has already scored a Group 1 – winning the Tatt’s Tiara on Palaisipan last year – but the Freedmans are convinced he will have many more opportunities at racing’s highest level.

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“He was riding a bit for us up in Queensland and he is a hard worker, he was happy to chip in when we needed him,” Freedman said.

“He understood the situation, Craig Williams jumped on a couple of horses in races that Kyle had been riding at trackwork.

“Kyle knew where he was positioned in terms of the pecking order of everything, but he continued to chip away.

“Punch Lane was one that he built a very good association with and he’s obviously maintaining that.

“The best part with Kyle is that he is very upfront.

“He knows we don’t need to be told a horse is better than it is, sometimes jockeys can get that a bit wrong but he has struck a really good balance.

“With Punch Lane, Kyle has said he is happy to follow him wherever he goes and that’s a pretty good way to go about things.”

Kyle Wilson-Taylor combining with Punch Lane to win the Glasshouse Handicap. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

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Punch Lane was disappointing when resuming in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes but was back on track when finishing runner-up last start in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes.

He is rated an $11 chance in the Alan Brown Stakes.

“He was a bit funny first-up, he trialled on the Monday and ran on the Saturday and got taken on and just a few things didn’t go right for him,” Freedman said.

“But it looks like he is back on track.

“It’s one run at a time, but we would consider the (Group 1) Rupert Clarke Stakes (in November at Caulfield) for him his form was warranting it at the time.”

Originally published as Melbourne Cup winner Sam Freedman believes Queensland jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor can be a success in Melbourne or Sydney