Despite only registering one winner so far in 2026, Tyler Schiller believes he is riding far better than he was at the same time last year.
The Sydney jockey endured a difficult 2025 after suffering a vertebrae injury in a race fall in May, an issue that kept him sidelined for three months and took time to fully recover from.
Now back in full rhythm, Schiller has taken confidence from a productive Gold Coast stint where he finished in the placings five times from six rides, all at healthy odds.
“Not many of them were in the market so I was quite happy with the performances I got,” Schiller said.
“Everything ran really well, and I couldn’t be disappointed in my carnival up there, considering everything was close to 30-1 plus.
“Hopefully it gives me a bit of momentum and confidence to be riding a bit better compared to when I first came back from my broken back. I was a bit below par from where I was before I broke my back, so it’s nice to be getting a feel for it all again.”
Schiller has picked up eight rides across the Randwick card on Saturday, including the mount on Justadeel in the Listed Carrington Stakes (1400m).
He partnered the gelding in the Big Dance, where the pair finished a creditable fourth behind Gringotts.
“He gets in with a light weight again on the weekend and an OK barrier to slot in behind them,” Schiller said.
“He hasn’t got a lot of early speed, but he put himself in a nice enough position from a good barrier in the Big Dance.
“I thought he acquitted himself really well in that race considering he had 52 kilos and didn’t finish far off the winner.
“He is definitely good enough to run a big race on the weekend.”
Schiller will also combine with two-year-old Oh Yes She Did in the Kia Ora Bloodlines To Headlines Handicap (1000m).
The filly caught his attention when finishing strongly behind Shiki in the Gimcrack Stakes last spring, and he feels she may have taken natural improvement since then.
“She looked like she needed strengthening a bit, but she had a good grounding and she was doing everything right,” he said.
“She is going to be a better filly over a bit further. Up to 1200 or 1400 metres might be better for her in time.”
Punters looking to back runners in the Carrington Stakes can compare prices via trusted Australian betting platforms.
The post Schiller hoping to seal the Deel in Carrington Stakes first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
