Tamworth preview Friday: Cody Morgan and Aaron Bullock on milestone pursuit

Trainer Cody Morgan is on 97 wins at his home track while jockey Aaron Bullock is within reach of 200 winners for the season and a real shot at the national jockeys premiership on Friday.

Trainer Cody Morgan is expected to play a major role in proceeedings at Tamworth on Friday. Picture: AAP Image–Simon Bullard

Cody Morgan serves-up jockey Aaron Bullock with a golden opportunity to take his tally of winners to 200 for the season and potentially overtake Queensland rider James Orman as Australia’s Champion Jockey with only four days remaining in the 2022/23 racing year.

Bullock heads to Tamworth on Friday on 194½ wins against Orman’s 197.

Orman has five rides at Ipswich on Friday while Bullock has a full deck of eight, five of them provided by Morgan.

“Aaron rode my first ever winner 10 or 12 years ago,’’ Morgan said.

“I wish him all the best with the premiership and I hope I can play a part on Friday.’’

Bullock could well return Morgan’s favour with the trainer himself on the cusp of a significant personal and professional milestone.

Morgan is on 97 wins at Tamworth which comes with an average of 20 per cent strike rate.

There is also still time for Morgan to improve his own standing on the New South Wales Trainers Premiership with his 2022/23 tally a neat 50.

What makes Morgan’s knock so meritorious is that his strike-rate of 19.2 per cent is only fractionally below the James Cummings’ superior 20.9 per cent among the top 20 NSW trainers by wins this season.

Morgan and Bullock could potentially bookend Friday’s meeting with the lightly-raced Koga Ninja in the opener and 2022 Kosciuszko participant Le Melody in the last.

“Le Melody went really well in the Kosciuszko but since then it’s become apparent that 1000m is her go so we won’t pursue the Kosciuszko again,’’ Morgan says.

“She was favourite for the Kirby at Grafton but got cast in the stable and took a bit of skin off her knee and was a late scratching on race-day.’’

The daughter of Your Song and $16,000 Scone Yearling purchase was a predictable but nonetheless highly impressive winner of her June 22 trial at Muswellbrook.

Speaking of trials, few horses racing at Tamworth have looked any more primed or powerfully persuasive than Koga Ninja, a recent five lengths 1000m Heat winner at his home base.

“I think he’s my best of the day,’’ Morgan told The Daily Telegraph.

“He was a very immature horse last preparation but he has come back in and furnished and he trialled really well.’’

Morgan and Bullock combine in the Shay Brennan Constructions Handicap (1600m) when the GB-bred gelding aims to quickly add to his tally of wins since arriving at Tamworth from England via Adelaide.

“I thought all three of his runs for me have been fine,’’ says Morgan

“He is quite a burly horse who holds a bit of condition so it was always the plan that if he won at Coonabarabran that he would back up at Tamworth. He looks sensational in the coat.

“The draw won’t matter too much. He’s got good tactical speed so I can see him racing in the first three or four and he will run well.’’

Golden Eagle winning jockey Koby Jennings meanwhile can join the Morgan party at Tamworth on Friday should Ostracised return to his customary high standard after a forgettable but forgivable Highway tilt last start.

“He was right off the track,’’ Morgan said. “It was actually a very good run.

“We nominated him for the Highway on Saturday but it was a Soft 6 Wednesday with no rain predicted so it is probably going to get back to a Good 4 or 5 by Saturday in Sydney so I just opted to stay at home.

“It looks a good race for him.’’

Originally published as Tamworth preview Friday: Cody Morgan and Aaron Bullock on milestone pursuit