A week after missing the Stradbroke Handicap meeting due to a cancelled flight, Brock Ryan is hoping to make the most of three feature race chances at Ipswich.
Ryan was booked to partner Wild Planet in the Group 1 showpiece last Saturday but ended up stuck at Sydney airport when his original flight was canned and he was unable to get on another until after the race was run.
He will circumvent that issue this week by hitting the road and will drive to Ipswich via Coffs Harbour, where he has rides on Friday, with an overnight stay at Yamba to shorten his race day travel.
The young jockey has mounts in all three Listed races at Ipswich and will partner Smart Meteor for Chris Munce in the Ipswich Cup (2150m), Gospodin for New Zealand trainer Jim Pender in the Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) and the Bjorn Baker-trained Lady Of Luxury in the Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m).
Ryan rode Smart Meteor when third to Yonkers in the Chairman’s Handicap (2143m) two starts ago and is happy to be back on board.
“I thought he went enormous that day. He got right back and attacked the line really well,” Ryan said.
“They stepped him up to 2400 last start and I don’t know if he has quite seen that distance out, but he drops back again in distance this time and he is rock-hard fit.
“If he gets luck in running, he will run very well.”
Ryan also reunites with Gospodin and has some unfinished business on the Kiwi sprinter after they were nailed by Blondeau in the final stages of the Takeover Target Stakes last month.
Gospodin subsequently finished down the track in the BRC Sprint when Ryan said he looked to have genuine excuses.
“I thought his run last start was still full of merit. He was four-wide the trip, got pushed off the corner and I thought he stuck on quite well,” Ryan said.
“He has drawn that bit better on Saturday, he should put himself in the first half-dozen and should be right there when the whips are cracking.
“Jim wouldn’t keep him over here and run him if he didn’t think he was going really well.”
Lady Of Luxury is an acceptor for races in Sydney and Brisbane but if she does take her place from a wide draw in the Gai Waterhouse Classic, Ryan believes it is an ideal chance for her to pick up some valuable black-type.
