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Pat on the back for Sir Hallowell

Wednesday 10 March 2010

Top Perth jockey Patrick Carbery will break new ground on Saturday when he rides in Sydney for the first time.

And it will be some initiation.

Carbery will partner lightly-raced colt Sir Hallowell in the Group One Randwick Guineas (1600m) and the 34-year-old is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation.

"Sydney is where it's all happening at this time of year, (riding there) is something I've always wanted to do and I'm lucky enough to get the opportunity," Carbery said.

"I worked Sir Hallowell yesterday in Sydney then came back (to Perth) for the races and I'm heading back to Sydney today."

Carbery will again jump aboard Sir Hallowell at trackwork on Thursday morning and plans to speak to several local jockeys and walk the Randwick course prior to his Group One ride.

While he might be new to Sydney, Carbery knows his mount well having partnered the colt to a win in Perth prior to his Sydney debut in the Hobartville Stakes.

Corey Brown rode him in that race, finishing an eye-catching fourth to Monton, and Carbery said Sir Hallowell had made further improvement.

"He's come on since that run and he had a few negatives going into it with the trip over, settling into new surroundings and it being his first run going that way around," he said.

"The owner wanted to go with a Sydney jockey for his first run and see how he went but I was always booked for this race.

"It was good to see him run so well and I'm rapt they've stuck with me for Saturday."

Sir Hallowell has started just four times for two wins and has drawn ideally in barrier three.

Hobartville winner Monton had his chances dealt a blow with gate 16 in the field of 17, while Queensland raiders Shoot Out and Captain Sonador - who finished second and third in the Hobartville - have gates five and six respectively.

Carbery says Sir Hallowell is still relatively untapped but is hopeful he might be the next West Australian export to make an impact interstate following the deeds of the likes of champion Northerly, Miss Andretti and Marasco.

He is well placed to make such a call having partnered Northerly 10 times during his stellar 37-start career, including his first stakes success in Perth.

"Obviously this horse shows a lot of potential, whether he reaches the heights we'd all like him to remains to be seen," Carbery said.

"But he's a young horse and on the way up so hopefully he can get somewhere near some of those decent horses that have come out of Perth."

Carbery will be chasing his first Group One win outside Perth where he has twice claimed the Railway Stakes, aboard Gilded Venom in 2008 and Machine Gun Tom ten years earlier.