Jockey Jim Byrne resumes association with former master Pat Duff at the Gold Coast

Jim Byrne will resume a 30-year association when he rides Steel Zip for his former master Pat Duff at the Gold Coast.

Steel Zip (grey horse) wins for Jeff Lloyd at Doomben on September 19. Photo: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

JIM Byrne will resume a 30-year association when he rides Steel Zip for his former master Pat Duff at the Gold Coast.

Veteran Steel Zip will be having his 82nd start but only his second with Byrne in the saddle when they contest the Listed Prime Minister’s Cup at the Gold Coast.

Byrne was apprenticed to Duff in the 1980s and rode more than 200 winners as a junior rider.

The two have remained good friends but Byrne has rarely ridden for Duff in recent years.

“It is just the way Jim’s career has gone. He has ridden interstate and overseas and for some of the big stables,” Duff said.

“He rode a stack of winners for me as a kid and over the years he has also ridden winners for me. But these days it is pretty rare I can get him.” Jeff Lloyd and Brad Stewart have recently ridden Steel Zip but both were unavailable.

“Jeff had to ride for his main trainer, Toby Edmonds, and Brad was suspended. I thought it was a good chance to get Jim and he will suit Steel Zip,” Duff said. Steel Zip has been solid in his recent starts without getting into the prize money.

“He had no luck in the Weetwood Handicap and then at his last start two weeks ago at Doomben he had no luck again from a bad alley but finished only a bit over a length out of the place,” Duff said.

Meanwhile, trainer Kelly Doughty has had one of her better winter carnival chances go amiss but hopes filly Benfica Princess is ready to fill the void.

Benfica Princess will get a major test when she contests the Listed Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m) on her home track today.

Doughty is using the race to see if Benfica Princess is up to tackling the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on June 3.

At her most recent start, the finished third in a deadheat at Doomben when things didn’t go to plan.

“She got left in front a long way from home. It meant she was a sitting duck for the rest of the field,” Doughty said.

“Her normal pattern is to get back with cover and then run home. There should be more pace on Saturday and that will suit her.”

Stablemate Arki is out of the carnival with a recurrence of a tendon problem.

The gelding came back from two career-threatening injuries that kept him away from racing for two years.

Arki returned in November and went on to win all five of his race starts in that campaign.

Doughty and her husband Gary, who owns and bred Arki, put him away for a spell with the winter carnival in mind and were taking hum along slowly.

“We could see there was something not quite right so we had him scanned and it showed the fibre in the tendon had frayed,” Gary said.

“It isn’t a tear but it needs looking after closely. We have been icing it and walking him but we can’t risk him after all the hard work has gone into him.”

Gary Doughty said Arki would remain in the stables for the moment.