Racing: Childs adds Mackinnon to spring of great content

Expatriate kiwi jockey Greg Childs said that not even when he rode super mare Sunline did he feel over-confident.

However, he did yesterday before he rode Lad Of The Manor to win the LKS Mackinnon Stakes and chalk up his 66th Group One win.

So much so that he had to talk to himself before the 2000m weight-for-age feature.

"It's not often I walk out too confident. I was nervous before the race, because I was too confident. I just knew the horse could win," he said.

"So, mindful of that fact, I just had to check myself, tell myself to be careful and be ready for the unexpected.

"I wasn't like that with Sunline. Believe it or not, I wasn't. I should have been."

Childs gave Lad Of The Manor a lovely run and the horse reeled in Our Smoking Joe to record a comfortable victory, with Melbourne Cup hopeful Lachlan River third.

Childs has been the rider of the Melbourne carnival so far, after his Caulfield Cup win on Railings.

He rode Lad Of The Manor to win both the Liston and Feehan stakes early in the spring, but was replaced for the Cox Plate, in which the horse ran fifth when regular rider Brian Johns returned from injury. However, Johns was dumped in favour of Childs this week.

Childs praised Wangarratta horseman Roger Hoysted's preparation of the 6-year-old son of Zabeel.

"Roger has placed him well," he said.

"He's run into Makybe Diva, but she wasn't here today," he added, referring to Lad Of The Manor's fifth to the champion in last week's Cox Plate.

The trainer revealed he had been invited by the Japan Racing Association to run Lad Of The Manor in the Japan Cup, but had declined.

Next autumn, the gelding could again contest the Australian Cup, in which he ran third last autumn, while the BMW (2400m) at Rosehill would also be an option.

Gold Coast trainer John Morrisey and Queensland jockey Glen Colless had big smiles on their faces after Lachlan River put in an eye-catching Melbourne Cup trial.

"I expected him to go good," Morrisey said.

"He doesn't get a lot of points for his behaviour, he's still pretty inexperienced."

Trainer Greg Hickman abandoned Melbourne Cup plans when Sir Dex finished sixth and Vouvray was eighth. She settled back, but never got into contention.

Jockey Scott Seamer said she might race better with the blinkers off.

- NZPA