By MIKE DILLON
Darryl Bradley says he is desperate for it and laid-back Hayden Tinsley says quietly he will take it if it comes.
But don't be fooled by that, look for a dogfight if the jockeys' premiership goes down to the wire - and it almost certainly will.
Last season's winner Bradley sits five wins clear of Tinsley on 96, but cannot ride until June 12 after failing on Sunday to have his suspension for nine riding days either lifted or reduced.
Tinsley knows this gives him a slight edge, but refuses to step into the fight - at least for the moment.
Tinsley is riding as well as any jockey right now. His demeanour in the saddle is the same as on the ground. Quiet and measured. Intelligent. Thoughtful to the max.
He starts out telling you the premiership is only one focus, but work through that and you quickly see winning Lotto might be the only thing more important.
"I take every day as it comes and I'm not a greatly outspoken person," said Tinsley.
"I don't set goals for myself.
"I can't relate to the thrill of winning the premiership, because I've never dreamed of it. I don't know what it would feel like.
"But I would love to win it and perhaps one of the reasons I don't want to get too carried away just yet is that I don't want to be too disappointed if I don't achieve it."
Bradley does not mind telling you his disappointment will be bottomless if he misses out.
His bank account may not be bottomless if he runs second, but it won't be spilling over either.
Winning the premiership is not in itself about money, it's about representing New Zealand in the lucrative World Jockeys' Series in Japan in December, where a single riding fee of $10,000 is not unheard of.
It's all or nothing. Finish second here and all you have are bills.
"To win the premiership today you have to chase it all around the country," said Bradley "You can't win it just riding in one district and that means all the costly travel and accommodation.
"There is no great pile of cash to say you've won the premiership, but the jockeys' series in Japan provides that."
Bradley is disappointed he could not get the nine-day suspension reduced, but refuses to concede the long suspension means he is out of contention.
"I thought the nine riding days was too harsh. Since January 1 I have been charged six times with careless riding and I felt this time I was judged on my record, not on the specific incident.
"But I have to put that behind me and hope that Hayden goes one or two racedays without riding a winner, which would leave us about level when I return.
"I was also disappointed the judicial panel refused to take any northern meetings into account in the suspension.
"They said I hadn't been riding in the north much and while that's true, we are getting to the point of the season where you do spread the riding to try and win the premiership."
Tinsley is also a bit of a stranger in the north, but says if he can get the right sort of rides he will be happy to travel.
Having the stables of Mike Breslin and John Wheeler to back him is a vital element for Tinsley.
"The only stable I ride regularly for is Bruce Marsh's and he has got his team in Brisbane for the winter," says Bradley.
And then in a fast-closing third place you have the wild card of Michael Walker, who no one had heard of this time last year as Bradley was putting the finishing touches to his first premiership.
Walker has skyrocketed from obscurity to sit on 84 wins.
Could he end the season in even more sensational style and topple Bradley and Tinsley to take the premiership?
It's amazing the TAB is not betting on racing's most intriguing race.
Racing: Contrasting styles from premiership contenders
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