Racing’s dynamic duo, Theresa Bateup and Jess Taylor, can edge closer to a shared century of winners when the trainer and jockey combine at one of their happier hunting grounds on Tuesday.
Their current tally of wins across the board is 87 with exactly 200 placegetters.
Taylor’s four scheduled engagements for Bateup at Moruya today which will take her overall number of rides for the Kembla based trainer to 980.
Punters have thrown their support behind the pair in the Dazzled Trophies Maiden (1200m) in which the so-far unlucky Lady Yarrow is a guaranteed odds-on favourite to post her first victory at start number five.
“At her three runs last prep the jockey has come back and said, if she jumps she wins,’’ Bateup said.
“She actually jumped last start but she was first-up off one jumpout on a heavy track and they’ve got huge raps on that winner (Autumn Break) and they beat the rest easy so all being fair and equal, if she doesn’t do too much wrong, this is a nice race for her.”
Lady Yarrow will be showing a profit should she salute on Tuesday.
The Arrowfield bred filly was bought for just $20,000 despite her dam being a three-quarter sister to Snitzel and Private Eye’s mother, Confidential Queen.
Bateup’s famous eye for a bargain drew her to another of Taylor’s Moruya mounts on Tuesday namely Pretty Please was knocked down for $5,000 at the HTBA Yearling Sale in 2022.
Cheap as that was, it is still $2,000 more than what Bateup spent on Monegal at the 2017 sale and she won almost $700,000.
As for Pretty Please, she was last seen finishing a close second over 2125m in a Canberra Class 1 on October 8.
“She gets out over a bit of ground and that’s why she is kicking off at 1435m,’’ Bateup explained.
“I was quite happy with her trial, she finished off quite nicely.
“She’s one that is going to improve off the run but this is a nice kicking off point for her.”
Bateup and Taylor join forces in a hotly-contested Benchmark 82 on Tuesday where even so, Master Riley is sure to find the temperature decidedly cooler than his first-up visit to Sydney.
“I was actually happy with his Kensington run,’’ Bateup said.
“He drew the outside and didn’t get cover early and got his head up and overraced early which he can do.
“Barrier one makes a huge difference on Tuesday.”
Words: Shayne O’Cass (Racenet)
Image: Bradley Photos