Awapuni is becoming synonymous with displays of supreme horsemanship, and that continued on Friday through the deeds of jockey Jonathan Riddell.
Just 100m into the race, the bridle slipped off Riddell’s charge Swazi and the senior hoop had to call on all his experience to stay on the gelding, and remarkably guided him to a long neck victory.
The bridle had slipped off around at the gates prior to the start and while Riddell and the gate attendants thought they had remedied the issue, shortly after the jump, Riddell knew he had a problem on his hands.
“I went around to the start early and he (Swazi) was nodding his head and the bridle slipped over his head,” Riddell said.
“The (start) boys were able to keep him under control and put the bridle on. (After the jump) Within 100m it slipped straight over his ears and I was in trouble from there.”
Riddell kept his cool aboard the gelding and said he was focussed on keeping the little control he had of the three-year-old.
“I had no thoughts of jumping off. I was just trying to keep the bit in his mouth and keep the reins as tight as I could,” he said.
“I gave Parksy (Johnathan Parkes, jockey) a call as I was going around the bend, he was outside me, just to let him know I had no bridle.
“It was probably easier with the rail on both sides as well.”
While he has had a number of gear failures in his time in the saddle, Friday’s bridle saga was Riddell’s first.
“It hasn’t happened to me before. I have had a lot of things happen, but not that,” he said.
His display of horsemanship was akin to that shown by jumps jockey Aaron Kuru at Awapuni five years ago, with the now Australian-based hoop sliding along and remounting Des De Jeu after falling at the first fence, with the pair going on to win their jumping contest.
It was the second win of the day for Riddell, with his victory aboard Be Enchanted in the Manawatu Auto Glass 1200 proving less eventful.
“In his run at Wanganui he just came to the end of it. He is a horse that puts himself there, so the poly was always going to suit,” Riddell said.
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