Having recently secured his fourth John Letts Medal, Jason ‘Stubby’ Holder is keen to apply his characteristic energy to winning the Listed W H Wylie Handicap at Morphettville this Saturday.
At 52 years of age, Holder remains at the peak of his powers and the riding ranks in South Australia, having once again claimed the state’s prestigious stewards-voted award for jockeys last weekend, on top of winning the metropolitan premiership for the recently concluded season.
“I’m very grateful that I’ve been on the right horses and my body is staying well,” Holder commented. “To get acknowledged is amazing and I take pride in my work.”
Trainer Andrew Gluyas has three runners entered for the 1100m feature race in Adelaide, but Holder has his heart set on one mount, ensuring he will ride Watchme Win again.
The partnership proved victorious in this race last year, and the lead-up to the 2026 edition bears a striking resemblance to that of the previous year.
“He’s a beautiful horse and I love him,” Holder said. “I was asked which one I wanted to ride and it was a ‘no brainer’ for me. He only got beaten a length-and-a-half in the Goodwood and he should nearly jump favourite for mine as he’d be very hard to beat.”
The six-year-old gelding finished fourth in the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield in July 2025 before a spell and his return for the Wylie Handicap.
A sixth-place finish in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) behind Cosmic Crusader on July 25 was followed by a win in a jump out at Morphettville over 800m on August 18.
“Every experience he has had away, he has come back a better horse,” Holder added. “I ride him in most of his trackwork and every time he goes out he puts in 110%. His trial was very good and he’s come back very well and that brought him on quickly so Andrew had to back off him a bit. I’m happy with the way he was going.”
Watchme Win is currently rated a $6.50 chance for the Wylie Handicap, while stablemate Bassett Babe is at $5 and Omaha Dawn is at $23.
Check out the latest racing odds for the Wylie Handicap at racing odds.
