THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: THE 2019 TAB JOCKEY ORIGIN SERIES COMES TO TOWN

By Graham Potter | Friday, December 13, 2019

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

While, in a sense, it might be more of a sideshow to the more important feature races that will be decided over the two-day event, the TAB 2019 Jockey Origin Series brings a different dynamic to that found at the run of the mill race-meetings.

It also brings high calibre jockeys to Doomben and Eagle Farm, most of whom are rarely seen in action in South East Queensland, so it earns a plus rating on those two accounts.

Six teams will compete in this year’s Origin Jockey Series with Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand facing off over a five-race contest. Three races will be contested on Friday with the remaining two races coming up for decision on Saturday. All jockeys will wear silks in colours appropriate to the state of country they are representing for easy identification.

The points system which will decide the winner is as follows: 1st placing = 5 points; 2nd placing = 3 points; 3rd placing = 2 points; and unplaced or scratching = 1 point.

The jockeys chasing those points are: Jim Byrne and Matt McGillivray (Queensland), Michael Rodd and Kathy O’Hara (New South Wales), Luke Nolen and Brett Prebble (Victoria), Dwayne Dunn and Jason Holder (South Australia), Craig Newitt and Brendon McCoull (Tasmania) and Michael Dee and Samantha Collett (New Zealand).

This is fifth running of the Origin Jockeys’ Series. Queensland has yet to take out the honours.

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Michael Rodd, who is now based in Singapore, boasts a Melbourne Cup win on Efficient and the Cox Plate win on Maldivian among his considerable list of credits.

His return to Queensland this weekend, where he excelled as a young rider, will bring back many happy memories to local racegoers who were in the prime seats back when Rodd launched his impressive career.

Memories aplenty too with Luke Nolen, the man Peter Moody handed Black Caviar’s reins to for the majority of the great mares undefeated career … and so I could go on listing the achievements of a star-studded Origin Jockeys Series line-up.

Suffice to say, it should be a battle royal and one that should be lapped up by racing enthusiasts keen to witness something different.