All jockeys go through dry spells, and how they react often defines them.
For apprentice Will Stanley, he went into Saturday’s meeting at Wellington having not won a race since May 20, and although going close and just missing out at numerous venues, he didn’t let it weigh him down.
Instead, he landed a double before backing up at Dubbo on Monday and riding another winner, putting the exclamation mark on what was a breakout week and a bit for the 19-year-old.
“It was really good to get those winners,” Stanley said.
“At times, it’s been kind of slow lately, and I hadn’t had a winner for about 65 rides heading to Wellington.
“It definitely lifted my spirits, and it’s funny because my boss (Alison Smith) said to me after I rode that first winner that I was in for a good day, and she was right because I ended up having five rides for two winners, two thirds, and a fifth.”
Everything went to plan at Wellington as he bookended the program, with the two-kilogram claimer guiding the Alison Smith-trained Almanac ($6) to a good win in the 1400m Maiden Plate before a pick-up ride gave him a second win on the Garry Lunn-trained Jarmanagic ($10) in the 1000m Benchmark 50 Handicap,
“Almanac has always had the ability, and I rode him at Coonamble at his last start, and Ali said to give him a dig out and have him up handy, but he just kept going,” Stanley said.
“He can be a bugger for laying out, too, and I didn’t know if Wellington would be the right track for him, and he did lay out a bit, but he just hung on.
“That last ride (Jarmanagic) was a pick-up ride for Matty Cahill, and it won well.”
At Dubbo, Stanley teamed up with another Orange trainer in Melissa Harrison and landed a good victory on Keys To Love ($6) in the 1318m Maiden Handicap.
“She is another one that I rode last start at Coonamble in a Class One, and even though she was a maidener, I thought she ran really good and was only beaten a couple of lengths when running fifth or sixth,” Stanley said.
“At Dubbo, I thought she would be hard to beat, and she can be a little funny, but she relaxed well, and the speed wasn’t overly fast or slow, and she got a good run in behind one of the favourites that dragged her into the straight, and I gave her a slap on the shoulder and let her rip, and she did it quite easily.”
For Stanley, his recent wins arrive on the back of his metropolitan debut, which was on the Alison Smith-trained Brief Statement at Rosehill Gardens on July 1.
Despite finishing 10th in the 1100m Class Highway Handicap, Stanley, who kicked off his career riding at the Bedgerabong picnic meeting in 2021, said it was a thrill to be riding on the big stage.
“It was amazing; I was worried about my weight getting down there because they are so strict, but I was 55kg on the dot when I left, and I was 54kg on the dot when I got down there, and that was because of the nerves,” Stanley laughed.
“It was a bit nerve-racking, but when I got out there, it was just like riding at Bathurst or Dubbo, and it was good.”
Weight hasn’t really been an issue for Stanley, who can ride at 55kg, but he did admit to some challenging moments.
“I walk around 56kg, and a couple of nights out, I’m eating my fish and veggies, and it really cuts it down to 55.3kg, and by the time I get home from work, I’m 55kg,” Stanley said.
“Orange is a bit chilly, and it makes it hard to cut the weight because they are cold mornings, and it takes half an hour to an hour to get sweating.
“Still, it’s a good town and close to everything, and not far from Dubbo, Coomable and only three hours to town.”
Stanley will look to add to his recent winners when taking on Western Racing Association meetings at Carinda on Saturday and Warren on Tuesday.
For all Wellington results, click here.
For all Dubbo results, click here.
