BAYLISS, BUOYED BY HIS RECENT SUCCESS, SHIFTS HIS FOCUS TO A GROUP 1 WINNING OPPORTUNITY

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The celebration of the day at last week’s Ipswich Cup meeting came from Jake Bayliss when he gave a rousing, emotionally charged, extravagant victory salute aboard the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained Chassis in the Gai Waterhouse Classic.

Such are the twists and turns of racing that, apart from the very personal context of that victory for Bayliss, whose family name is entrenched in Ipswich Turf Club history, the result helped open up an opportunity for Bayliss to have a tilt at an even bigger prize this Saturday with the Maher and Eustace team engaging Bayliss to ride She’s All Class in the Group 1 Tatts Tiara at Eagle Farm.

“I rode for Ciaron a little bit as an apprentice in Melbourne, but, getting these rides for the stable now is all due to Liam Prior, my new manager,” explained Bayliss. “He does a fantastic job … and when you have a manager who has a lot of contacts and is friends with a lot of big racing people, it just makes it easier to get your foot in the door in those sort of camps.

“He gets you the foot in the door … and then it’s up to you to take the opportunity and make it work. If you do your job right, it leads to bigger opportunities … like, hopefully, on Saturday in a Group 1”

“I just can’t thank him enough. He’s been a breath of fresh air in my career since I returned to the Brisbane riding ranks.
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“The win in the Gai Waterhouse wasn’t my biggest win by far, but, obviously, being at Ipswich and the sentimental value Ipswich has for the Bayliss family made it a very special win,” said Bayliss.

“I was full of emotion … shot to pieces really. I got fined $400 for the salute, but I really couldn’t control my emotions. If it had been any stakes race at any other track, you wouldn’t have seen that side of me.”

A bit lighter in the pocket, but you have to believe that Bayliss would rather have that win … and that moment … than the $400!

That family connection to the Ipswich track is an ingrained part of Bayliss’ DNA.

“I have been around. Kicked off in Ipswich … went to Melbourne … did two stints in New Zealand … been in Brisbane … and I was in Singapore for twelve months … but, Ipswich has always been home. It’s where the whole family has lived for generations.

“When we were at school, on Friday afternoons Regan and I were excused to leave early so we could catch the last couple of races. I don’t know how we managed that. Dad must have pulled a rabbit out of the hat for us.

“We used to play footy in-between races … kick a ball around … then watch the mounting yard. We were just glued to racing already right back then, with Ipswich track being the focus point of it all. It is just so full of our family history.

“My dad was leading trainer out of Ipswich for so many years … and, in his early years he won the 1989 Ipswich Cup for Bruce Brown on Dixie Kid. My great grandfather Col Bayliss was a life member. My grandfather was Clerk Of The Course at Ipswich for thirty years. My Auntie was Clerk Of The Course there for twenty-something years … and that’s where I did my first couple of gallops and jump outs, so it really is a special place … and a very special track … for us.
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That solid foundation in racing given to him by his family … as well as their continuing and unwavering support … has … and will continue to serve Bayliss well as that important family dynamic remains solid as a rock.

As always though, there is current business to take care of.

Bayliss, already a three-time Group 1 winning rider, will be looking for his first Group 1 win in Australia on Saturday … and you can only imagine the salute and the emotion that would flow again if Bayliss does back up with successive, special feature race victories ... and you know the whole of Ipswich will be cheering him on.