Matthew Chadwick aiming for Rising Stars Series title on $201 outsider Swelter Magic
The Rising Stars Series goes down to the wire at Flemington with Matthew Chadwick needing to pull a rabbit out of a hat to claim the title aboard a $201 outsider.
Riding a $201 outsider in a must-win race has afforded apprentice jockey Matthew Chadwick a small margin of error at Flemington.
Chadwick technically could still run second on Swelter Magic, trained by Kevin Corstens, to complete a come-from-behind Rising Stars Series heist on Saturday.
Leading apprentice Celine Gaudray raced to 56 points early in the season-long competition, scoring in 10 of the first 14 heats, which included two wins and four seconds.
Points are awarded 12-6-4-2-1 to the top five placings in selected Rising Stars races.
Suspensions and difficulty getting rides in the country without a weight claim resulted in Gaudray scoring only six points in the last 10 heats ahead of Saturday’s Flemington final.
Chadwick bridged the gap with 12-point efforts at Moe and Seymour to surge to second and within five of Gaudray.
Thomas Stockdale (48) holds third ahead of Carleen Hefel (44), Tom Prebble (36) and Matt Cartwright (36).
Chadwick is the only jockey able to pass Gaudray, booked to ride Pitchanun, a $3.90 TAB favourite on Saturday, should she fail to add to her total of 62 points.
“I feel like with the opportunity to win it (series) … I’ll be doing everything I can to at least put my horse in the race and do what I can,” Chadwick said.
“I’ll look to be up there in the first three or four and make my own luck, more so because the horse is a mile-and-a-half horse, he’s had a run at the mile already.
“Kev’s very good with his horses, I’m thinking it will be fit and up to the mark, if I can get them running along and a few of the chances off the bridle early I don’t see why not, why the horse couldn’t create a shake.”
Cranbourne-based apprentice Chadwick has won 30 races from 308 starts, including four for masters Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr and three for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Chadwick is the second-least experienced jockey in the field on Saturday, behind Tom Prebble (24 winners, 163 starts), aboard Ole Ola, a $10 chance at Flemington.
Chadwick, who had no background or experience riding horses until a couple of years ago, credited Price and Kent Jr for his development.
Price entrusted Chadwick, a good listener and follower of instructions, with riding the late great multiple Group 1 superstar I’m Thunderstruck in track work last year.
I’m Thunderstruck was humanely euthanised tragically last March after a freak incident following a minor surgical procedure.
“That was a very, very difficult time, riding him was something unimaginable, the feel and everything you got riding him is something I’ll hold in my heart to the point,” Chadwick said.
“I wake up every morning with a big photo of him on my desk, just so I can look at him and remember all the good times I had with him, riding a horse like him was pretty phenomenal.
“It creates a spot in your heart and you think about him every day … It was pretty thrilling to be able to ride a horse like him every morning.”
Chadwick’s connection with I’m Thunderstruck didn’t start as smoothly, with the young gun not strong enough initially to hold the powerful weight-for-age star.
“Mick was away (and) I couldn’t hold him, I was really struggling, I wasn’t strong enough to hold him and Mick got back and told me, ‘Chad, you’re going to ride him’,” Chadwick said.
“I’m like, ‘Geez, I wasn’t able to hold him four weeks ago and he’s getting fitter now, what’s it going to be like now’.
“Having Mick’s faith was pretty big, that’s all you want in your masters, to have the faith and look, lucky enough when they have been able to throw me a bone I’ve been able to repay them.”
RISING STARS LEADERS
62 Celine Gaudray
57 Matt Chadwick
48 Thomas Stockdale
44 Carleen Hefel
36 Tom Prebble, Matthew Cartwright
Originally published as Matthew Chadwick aiming for Rising Stars Series title on $201 outsider Swelter Magic
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