Katelyn out to make the difference
Not many people were happier to see Katelyn Mallyon back riding than Danny O'Brien and The New Boy's owners.
O'Brien has had a fantastic run in 2013, but one horse that has proven a frustration is The New Boy, who has finished second at his past four starts, beaten no further than a neck.
Mallyon has previously ridden the four-year-old son of Rock of Gibraltar to victory, pictured, and O'Brien hopes getting the star apprentice back on board, plus removing the blinkers, can get him over the line.
“Katelyn comes back, she was the last jockey to win on him, and she takes two kilos off,” O'Brien said.
“He's been terrific all summer, we're trying a couple of different things, the blinkers are coming off, so we're just trying to squeeze that neck out of him that he needs.”
It would be poignant if Mallyon, who only returned to race riding last Saturday, was to win aboard The New Boy.
The most recent of his three career wins came in one of the early races at the Flemington meeting, on 19 May, at which Mallyon had the fall that kept her sidelined for nine months.
After making a low-key return at Bendigo last Saturday, where she had one ride, Mallyon rode at Stony Creek and Mornington during the week, plus Sale today.
Mallyon's boyfriend Jake Noonan rode The New Boy at the first of his two recent second placings, when beaten a short neck and a long head, while Craig Newitt has been aboard at his past two starts.
Two starts ago he was beaten a nose and then went down by a long neck in the Swettenham Stud Summer Championship Final at Caulfield on 2 February.
“Some of the punters might be getting a little tired of him, but as a trainer and owner you can't ask any more of the horse. He's been very brave,” O'Brien said.
The New Boy is one of two rides Mallyon has for O'Brien at Flemington, with last season's leading Victorian apprentice to also partner Excitable Boy in the $120,000 Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m) that kicks of the card at 12.30pm.
The son of More Than Ready finished sixth in the Blue Diamond Preview, which was his first run since his debut third to behind Kuroshio, and saw his chances enhanced following the scratching of fancied pair Indulgence and Kona Breeze.
The New Boy and Excitable Boy are part of an outstanding team of runners that has O'Brien in line to maintain a streak that has seen him train at least one winner at every Flemington since the resumption of racing after a Melbourne Cup Week break.
He will saddle up two favourites, Spending (Race 5) and Decircles (Race 8), while Keep Cool is second favourite for the second event.
O'Brien will also be represented in the day's feature, the Black Caviar Lightning, with Shamexpress to take on the champion mare after whom the race is named.
Story by Brad Bishop, to view full Racing Victoria story click here
Photo by Slickpix, to view Slickpix website click here