One-time real estate agent Ash Morgan to become slot race king in $3.5m The Kiwi

It wasn’t that long ago jockey Ash Morgan was selling real estate for a living, but now he gets a chance to carve out a reputation as a slot race king when he rides in the $3.5m The Kiwi in New Zealand on Saturday.

Jockey Ash Morgan has already won one big slot race aboard Private Harry in The Sunlight (top right) … now he's aiming for another aboard Perfumist (bottom right) in The Kiwi.

He’s the former London real estate agent who could become the slot race king.

Welsh-born jockey Ash Morgan scooped the $3m The Sunlight slot race with new racing star Private Harry on the Sunshine Coast in January and now gets a golden chance to score back-to-back rich slot races.

Morgan will ride one of the fancies in the new $3.5m slot race in New Zealand when he partners Bjorn Baker-trained filly Perfumist in the inaugural The Kiwi for three-year-olds over 1500m at Ellerslie on Saturday.

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“When Bjorn mentioned it to me, he said I would have to try to keep my slot race strike rate going,” Morgan chuckled.

“Winning on Private Harry has certainly helped me to get opportunities like this.

“Private Harry has opened doors for me and showed I can handle high pressure situations.

“I always got good opportunities riding around the country and the provincial circuit, but it just showed I could do it on the next level.”

Ash Morgan celebrates his Sunlight slot race victory aboard Private Harry at the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography

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Morgan has been in hot form, scoring his first Group win recently, and he has taken the road less travelled to carve out a successful jockey career in NSW.

He started working in stables at age 14 but his passion for racing dried up and he spent two years working in recruitment and then as a real state agent in London.

It was only when he worked selling real estate that he realised how much he missed racing and, sensing there were limited opportunities in the United Kingdom, he took a chance on moving Down Under.

Private Harry takes out the Inaugural running of the TAB Sunlight! 👏@mmsnippets@SCTurfClub@[e-mail]/WFjTCf1SI6

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 4, 2025

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“I finished riding in England, I was pretty much done with racing and I said I was never going to ride a horse again, let alone ride in a race again,” Morgan reflects.

“I just wanted to do something completely different.

“I don’t know if I was any good at real estate, but I got pretty lucky and sold a fair few places.

“When I had a break from racing, I realised how much I missed it and wanted to be in it.”

Fast forward to 2025 and Morgan will spread his wings and ride in New Zealand for the first time.

He has ridden throughout Europe and also once had a short stint riding in America, but can’t wait to be saddled up on Perfumist in the race for big prize money.

Perfumist has scorched through the grades, winning five of her 10 career starts, and Morgan won on her at Bathurst and Mudgee earlier in her career.

Perfumist gives @AshMorgan6 a double at @MudgeeRaceClub 👏@BBakerRacingpic.twitter.com/xHmszNotN5

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 6, 2024

“When I won her maiden on her, I had already ridden a few of Bjorn’s two-year-old fillies that had gone pretty well,” Morgan said.

“But I thought she was one of the better ones and I really liked her.

“I knew she was a nice horse but I obviously never thought that I would be getting the chance to ride her in a big money slot race.

“Last start in town (when Perfumist was beaten as a $1.70 favourite) I still thought it was a really good run because they went very quick and she was on top of speed she was going to be vulnerable.

“She did it tough at both ends and was still good.

“After that run I galloped her in a piece of work and she felt great, it didn’t feel like she took any negative effect from it.”

Perfumist is rated an $10 chance on Ladbrokes in The Kiwi.

Fellow Australians Evaporate ($2.80) and Public Attention ($4) are the top picks in betting.

Originally published as One-time real estate agent Ash Morgan to become slot race king in $3.5m The Kiwi