KELLY Schweida is cautious by nature, but was more confident than usual in the chances of Shogun Sun at Doomben on Saturday after jockey Jim Byrne gave the horse the big thumbs up last week.

“I’ve been coming to the races for 45 years and I’ve never had a jockey as confident of winning as he was,” Schweida said. “He rode him Tuesday and said they just won’t beat him.”

After a less-than-perfect run in transit, Byrne was relieved his confidence was justified.

“You can put your foot in your mouth sometimes, but he went pretty good on Tuesday morning,” Byrne said. “I felt on that work, he could strike bad luck and still be good enough to win.”

Byrne wasn’t as confident at the 500m mark though, fearing Natch had pinched a winning break as traffic prevented Shogun Sun from working into the race.

“A lot of things didn’t work out, but he stuck to his guns,” Byrne said.

LLOYD BACKING BYRNE
JEFF Lloyd has tipped Byrne to take his jockeys’ premiership crown this season.

Lloyd is set to retire sometime this year, paving the way for someone to claim the title he has won for the past three years.

Lloyd prides himself on being a good judge and didn’t hesitate for long when asked who would win the 2018-19 premiership.

“I think Jimmy will win it. I don’t see anyone pushing him out the way. He’s a great jockey and he’s got great support,” Lloyd said. “I don’t see why he shouldn’t win it. We all know what racing is like, it can turn, but I wouldn’t bet against him.”

Lloyd acknowledged the changing jockey landscape, with a number of new faces on the scene, and said Ryan Maloney and Jimmy Orman were in good shape being with the powerful Toby Edmonds yard, but he didn’t expect them to topple Byrne.

“As long as Jimmy is getting support and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t, I still think he will take out the title,” he said.

BAYLISS QUICKEST JOCKEY ON FOOT
FANCIED runner Corey Bayliss showed the slickest turn of foot to win the annual jockeys’ foot race at Doomben on Saturday as part of the National Jockey Trust fundraising raceday.

With last year’s winner Robbie Fradd now domiciled in Mauritius, the crown for Brisbane’s fastest jockey was up for grabs and it was a keenly contested affair.

Bayliss began best and held off Matt McGillivray, with Jackson Murphy third. Jim Byrne veered out and severely interfered with Ryan Wiggins at the start, ending the latter’s chances.

Skye Bogenhuber also came to grief on the other side of the course.

BRC chairman Neville Bell successfully bid $500 for Bayliss in the auction, which raised more than $4500.

The National Jockey Trust Function raised more than $13,000 yesterday, where the guest speakers were Toowoomba track riders Wade Clasohm and Ben Saunders.

BELLA LOSES HER HOOFS
MATT McGillivray said unplaced hotpot Italia Bella struggled to get “traction” in the straight in what looked a very average effort.

“I had a beautiful run. She just couldn’t get traction,” McGillivray said. “It was a bit shifty.

“Around the 100m she half dipped and she didn’t bother after that.

“I thought I had the leader covered, but she struggled to pick her feet up.”

Jackson Murphy said he was on one rein the whole way on Scallopini in the same race.

“There’s more to come from this horse,” he said. “We didn’t see his best today.”

MURPHY COPS IT ON CHIN
JACKSON Murphy’s sizzling start to the season has hit an early speed bump with a 15-day suspension. Murphy had his wings clipped by stewards at Gatton on Friday and on Saturday indicated he wouldn’t be going down the appeal path.

“I just came across and didn’t have enough consideration for my fellow riders,” Murphy said.

“I talked it over with my boss (Chris Anderson) and we decided an appeal would have just been clutching at straws. So I will take the break, freshen up and come back bigger and stronger.”

Murphy was unleashed on the metropolitan scene late last season and has made an immediate impact, with another winning double on Saturday.

ANOTHER BET SCANDAL
EXPECT to hear news this week of another Queensland-based jockey in strife for betting on a race. The charge is not one for betting in a race the jockey was involved in. Last year, top Toowoomba apprentice Baylee Nothdurft was suspended for three months on a betting charge.

The highest profile case in recent times was James McDonald, who earned an 18-month stretch for the more serious charge of betting in a race in which he was involved, backing his mount Astern successfully to win in Sydney.

STANLEY SURVIVES SKILLS TEST
JUSTIN Stanley was the toast of Cairns after landing Peacock a last-stride winner of Saturday’s $50,000 Cairns Newmarket, but it was his feats earlier in the day that were the talk of the track.

Stanley snapped an iron strap coming out of the gates on Captain The World in the fourth event and went around similar to what it would have been bareback. Onlookers were amazed he got around, yet he very nearly won the race!

Having already won the Rockhampton Newmarket, Saturday’s win by Peacock sets him up for a shot at the $150,000 Sprinters Northern Crown Bonus if he can win the Cairns Amateurs Open Sprint on September 8.