HUXTABLE HOLDING HIS OWN IN THE BIG TIME

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Apprentice Justin Huxtable is having an outstanding season … a fact which is emphasised by the current standings on the Brisbane Metropolitan Apprentices Premiership which shows Huxtable on 37.5 winners with no other apprentice yet to reach double figures.

With his results gaining due attention, Huxtable was the only apprentice to gain rides in any of the Group races on Doomben 10 000 day (May 15) where he finished third on Berdini’s Girl in the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic for his master Chris Munce, and unplaced on Khoekhoe in the Group 3 Rough Habit for trainer Matt Cumani. Those were Huxtable’s only two rides on the day.

Last Saturday (May 22 - Doomben Cup day) Huxtable went to the track for only one ride on Rhapsody Rose for Chris Munce in the Listed Carter Stakes.

You could say the horse owed him one … and Rhapsody Rose delivered on that debt in spades, producing a brave performance under the most testing of conditions under a superb ride from Huxtable to clinch a memorable victory.

It was Rhapsody Rose that arguably initiated a sequence of events that left Huxtable poleaxed on the ground in the parade ring with serious injuries after a pre-race incident at the Gold Coast on January 9.

The filly had been unruly. Huxtable had dismounted. The clerk of the course moved in to help but, when Huxtable looked to remount, the clerk of the course’s horse kicked out and caught Huxtable full on, leaving him in agony with injuries severe enough to keep the young rider out of action for six weeks.

But, on Saturday, with the intense pain of that moment now confined to history, it was time for Huxtable’s association with Rhapsody Rose to lift to one of pure pleasure as the duo simply refused to lie down on the day, their stride for stride battle with the Chris Waller trained pair of Hoover Lucy (Hugh Bowman) and Morioka (Nash Rawiller) raising the roof as less than half-a-length separated the first three horses across the line.

Smiles do not get any bigger than the smiles that were on the faces of Munce and Huxtable as they hugged and celebrated their success after Huxtable had dismounted from the winner.

“I was more pleased for young Justin than anything else,” said Munce.

“He is a good boy. He’s only got one winner left to outride his allowance and he is mixing it with the big boys.

“On Saturday, in a pressure finish, he had Bowman, Rawiller, Fradd and then McEvoy … four world class jockeys outside him … and he did not look out of place. He did not look out of place at all.

“He was strong in the finish. His strength is his strength. Even though he is a tall boy he is very strong in the finish. On top of that he is also very good at placing his horses right. He puts them in the right spot. He gets them to travel nicely and kindly under him and that allows them to finish off. He’s always got something up his sleeve at the finish.

“Justin is quite focussed when it comes to riding. He is very switched on as far as how he wants to ride his horses and, like I said, nine time out of ten he puts them in a good spot.

“He is very eager. He wants to win and be successful and he does all the right things to give himself every opportunity to do that.

“I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing him ride winners and it was really good to see him to win a Stakes race.”

Munce and Huxtable will be looking to break new ground together on Saturday when Rhapsody Rose goes out to tackle the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes where, yet again, Huxtable will be the only apprentice jockey in the lineup.

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