Pacesetting jockey Jeff Lloyd says he is not over the line yet

JEFF Lloyd is still not counting his chickens despite moving 3½ wins clear of Jim Byrne in the race for the Brisbane metropolitan jockeys premierships with just three meetings to go.

Jeff Lloyd extends his lead in the Brisbane metropolitan jockeys premiership aboard Bound For Love at the Gold Coast yesterdat. Pictures: Natasha Wood/Trackside Photography

JEFF Lloyd is still not counting his chickens despite moving 3½ wins clear of Jim Byrne in the race for the Brisbane metropolitan jockeys premierships with just three meetings to go.

It took the 55-year-old Lloyd, who suffered a stroke at the Sunshine Coast races in 2013, until the last race of the day at the Gold Coast yesterday to strike a blow as he bids to become the oldest jockey to win the Brisbane premiership.

Gold Coast-based Lloyd booted home Bound For Love for local trainer Toby Edmonds in the Class 1 Handicap (1300m) to take his tally of city winners to 75 for the season.

But the veteran hoop doesn’t believe that the title is his just yet despite firming with bookmakers to win the premiership.

“I’m never home until it’s finished and you can ride four in a day can’t you,” Lloyd said.

Bound For Love’s win also increased Edmonds’ lead to six over Bryan Guy in the Gold Coast trainers premiership with one local meeting to go.

Meanwhile, Doubt Defying gave punters a few heart flutters before pulling off a nice plunge to continue Steve O’Dea’s golden run yesterday.

The Aquis Farm-owned gelding firmed from $3.40-$1.80 with UBET for the two-year-old Maiden Handicap (1200m) and the bookies would have been laughing when Doubt Defying was well off the speed and under hard riding just before the turn.

But punters had the last laugh as Doubt Defying unleashed a barnstorming finish to score by 1¼ lengths.

It was O’Dea’s seventh winner from his past 14 starters.

O’Dea linked up with Aquis Farm a few months ago and uses their Canungra complex as a second stable to complement his Eagle Farm base.

Tony Gollan predicted bigger things for Skylimit after the half-brother to 2013 Golden Slipper winner Overreach ended a run of outs yesterday.

The former Gai Waterhouse-trained Skylimit had been knocking on the door in three starts for Gollan and a decision to ride him off the speed worked wonders in the Class 3 Handicap (1200m).

“I would be very surprised if he couldn’t train on to be a Saturday horse at least,” Gollan said.

■ GOLD Coast trainer Graeme Shaw will bid to claim his first Saturday metropolitan winner in Australia with Uh Oh after his victory in yesterday’s Sky Racing Maiden Plate (1200m).

“We wanted to get him into a three-year-old race in town before the season is over and there is a race for him in Brisbane in 10 days,” said Shaw, who only has a few horses in work.

■ LOCAL trainer Kim Craft is keen to target the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) in January with Beloso after his two-year-old Maiden Handicap (1200m) triumph yesterday.

“There is a group of 20 ladies that own him and we missed the Magic Millions two-year-old race but we want to get his prizemoney up for the three-year-old race,” Craft said.

■ JOCKEYS Glen Colless (nine days) and Matt McGuren (12 days) both received suspensions for careless riding in Races 1 and 9 respectively yesterday.

■ GENERAL manager Marnie Ballard was yesterday officially sacked by the Gold Coast Turf Club. The axing comes after chief executive Dale St George was sacked last Friday.