EVANS SETTLING IN WELL IN MELBOURNE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, August 6, 2009

Apprentice jockey Brent Evans has the scoreboard on the move in Melbourne.

The young rider brought the Danny O’Brien trained first-timer Cabeza home in a fighting finish in the first race at Sandown yesterday to score his third success in eight days.

Speaking at Ipswich last Friday, where he returned to claim the local Premiership, Evans gave some insight into how he was adapting to the move to Victoria.

“I like it down there (in Melbourne). It’s a bit cold down there, but I mean Toowoomba’s cold. It hasn’t been that bad ... some days at the races it will be freezing with my silks on and that, but other than that it is alright.

“I like it down there. I like everything that’s happening. The new working environment is great. Hopefully I can kick off. I’m getting a few rides from the leading stables - Tony Noonan and Mark Kavanaghs given me a ride. I’m fully signed over to Mick (trainer Michael Kent) now so I’m down there to stay. Mick’s got a fair size stable. He’s got twenty-nine on the one side and about twenty-five on the other.

“As far as the other riders are concerned everything’s fine. They are all alright. They are all pretty quiet. They keep to themselves when you first walk in ... like I’m the new kid on the block, you know. I met Craig Williams when he was up for the Carnival (in Brisbane) and he rides a bit for my boss. He welcomed me pretty well. He gives me pointers here and there with my form or whatever ... he gives me a few good pointers.

“Riding against the big-name riders ... you watch your races over and over to see where you can improve, especially against those sort of riders. It really fine-tunes your style comparing yourself to riders like that.

“I rode my first winner in Sydney last Wednesday - one for Mick. He had a stable-mate in the race. His apprentice (Ibrahim Gundodu) was riding it. He was one behind in the apprentices Premiership and that was the last meeting, so he was on the more fancied runners for the day. He (Kent) put one in for me so I could go around and have a look at the track and I come up with the goods.

Evans also landed a win for the Kent stable at Caulfield on Saturday when he partnered Parvita to victory in the opening event on the card and then, next time out, he again kicked off the meeting at Sandown on Cabeza for Danny O’Brien - his first winner in Melbourne outside of his home stable.

It is very early days for Evans, but he clearly isn’t one for marking time.

His rapid rate of progress in Queensland, which culminated in multiple Premiership titles, is well-documented. Given the extremely competitive nature of the competition in Melbourne, nobody expects Evans to immediately set the town alight, but there is already a spark there.

His progress will be watched with keen interest.

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