Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Expat Irish jockey Joe Doyle scored an emotional victory in front of his visiting parents at Trentham on Saturday when taking out the Gr.2 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) aboard Doctor Askar (Derryn).
The pair settled off the pace early and had just three runners behind them when turning for home, but Doyle guided his charge out wide where he was able to chase down Marotiri Molly to win by half a head.
“I got a good drag into it off Pitman’s horse (Mystic Park),” Doyle said. “I usually ride him more forward, he doesn’t have to be ridden like that. It wasn’t really until the 200m that he really got down to it and I thought ‘we are going to do this’. I am really happy to get the result.”
Doyle was particularly rapt to get the victory in front of his parents.
“What a super horse,” he said. “My Mum and Dad are here today, so it was nice to ride a big winner in front of them.
“We are horse racing people to the bone and it means everything to us. I am gutted that it is not a Group One still, but any big win on a Saturday is fantastic for super connections, and having Mum and Dad oncourse just adds to it.”
Doyle was runner-up on the Joanne Moss-owned and trained gelding in the Gr.3 Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) at Trentham a fortnight ago, and he was bemused by his $10.90 winning odds.
“He has been a very good horse to me,” Doyle said. “He was difficult to get going last year, we got to the right side of him, he fired a warning shot on the last day (in the Phar Lap Trophy). I don’t know why he was so friendless on the TAB, we went into it with a fair bit of confidence and he proved us right.”
Moss was jubilant following the victory, Doctor Askar’s third at stakes level following his wins in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) and Listed Flying Handicap (1400m) last year.
“I am really blown away, that was quite a good field,” she said.
“I just said to Joe, ‘he has done really well, he has eaten every day, he is working well, I have done my job’. I am absolutely rapt.”
The five-year-old son of Derryn had put in a few subpar performances late last year, which Moss admitted to having her stumped, until she found the cause of the problem, a stone bruise.
“He had a stone bruise and that took two races,” Moss said. “I didn’t know what was wrong with him, he was still running but wasn’t himself. Once I found that (stone bruise) I rang Joe and told him what I found, so we were back on track.”
Moss is yet to lock in Doctor Askar’s next target, but Doyle believes he is better kept to handicaps for now.
“I am really rapt with the horse,” he said. “There is more in him in handicaps at this stage and I am hoping he can progress to weight-for-age level.”
