By MIKE DILLON
One hour before riding Showella to win Saturday's $100,000 Lion Red Stakes at Ellerslie, Singapore based Eddie Wilkinson sat quietly in the jockeys' room watching the Australian races on television.
"Gee, Olly [Damien Oliver] is riding sensationally well," said Wilkinson after his good mate had displayed wonderful horsemanship to land the Eric Watson-owned mare Blue Paris a winner at Flemington.
So it's going to hurt to have to hand Showella's colours over to him for a multi-million dollar Sydney campaign?
"You bet. I think I'll give this mare the hardest race of her life today (and flatten her)."
Wilkinson was joking, but after Showella's fabulous performance to beat Rebel, Rijeka and Cleese, the pain was no less real that his Singapore contract does not allow him to be aboard the mare for the $A400,000 Ranvet Stakes, $A1 million Mercedes Classic and $A800,000 Sydney Cup.
But Wilkinson was thinking even beyond that.
Like all jockeys, he wants to win the Melbourne Cup, something that Oliver achieved on Doriemus.
He wants desperately to ride Showella in the Melbourne Cup in November, but believes it would not be honourable to put his hand up for the engagement, even though he served his apprenticeship with the mare's co-trainer Frank Ritchie.
"Look, if Olly won those three races in Sydney, I would expect him to be left on her for the Melbourne Cup.
"If this horse was trained in Australia there is no way a jockey would get back on her if he stepped aside. It just wouldn't happen."
But Wilkinson and Ritchie are great mates and additional to that, Wilkinson comes from Kaitaia and Showella's owner, Terry Archer, also happens to be a Northlander. Even in the tough arena of racing, these things can count.
With the arguable exception of Paddy Payne, Oliver is the best jockey in Australasia, but no one could have ridden Showella better on Saturday.
Wilkinson tracked the obvious danger Rebel from the 1600m and brought the mare into the race with perfect timing.
"Jim Collett on Rebel was waiting for me to go round and tow him into the race and I was waiting for him to do the same thing.
"At the 600m I was getting a bit worried and I yelled: "Jim, you'd better go now."
"He waited for as long as he could and finally he had no choice but to dig Rebel up and I followed him through."
Frank Ritchie heaped praise on his former apprentice's efforts.
"That was a simply brilliant ride."
Showella had to win on class rather than fitness. It is nearly two months to the Sydney Cup and the Ritchie stable could not afford to have her screwed right up on Saturday.
"She was never going to be beaten, but she felt like she would improve a lot with the run. She had a good blow afterwards," said Wilkinson.
"Properly fit she'd have won by three lengths untouched."
Wilkinson is naturally quiet and conservative, but is not shy about expanding on Showella.
"She could do anything. And you know, she gives the impression the tougher the opposition, the more she will produce."
Rebel's effort left no doubt he is on track for a big effort if selected to represent New Zealand in the $1.8 million Queen Elizabeth 11 Cup in Hong Kong next month.
Lance O'Sullivan fancied his chances on pacemaker Cleese until Greene Street, who had sat passively outside him throughout, attacked with a furious sprint at the 650m.
Until then O'Sullivan had got away with a murderously soft lead, but the almost violent sudden increase in speed bled a lot of energy.
"I was going to wait until the home turn and then I was off.
"I don't know if Cleese would have won, the winner is very good, but he would have been very hard to beat with only 52.5kg.
"I couldn't see the point in sprinting Greene Street at that stage - he finished second last.
"All it did was bring us both undone."
Racing: Handing over colours is going to hurt
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