Marquand cut for champion jockey as Australian exploits showcase stellar talent

The Tom Marquand bandwagon continued in Australia on Saturday as the jockey landed a Group-race double, and his exploits down under have forced bookmakers to slash his odds to be champion jockey once he returns to Britain.

Marquand, 21, rode the first Group 1 winner of his career at Rosehill last weekend and seven days on he landed Group 3 events on Holyfield and Vegadaze on a top-quality card at the same track.

"The stars have aligned, how lucky have I been?" he said. "It's pretty jammy! It's some of the best racing that they have at the moment. There were nine races and only one of them wasn't a Group race, which is crazy!

Marquand factfile

First Pattern winner Oh This Is Us - Spring Trophy Stakes
First Group winner Anna Nerium - 2017 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes
First Group 1 winner Addeybb - 2020 Ranvet Stakes
Most lucrative winner Prime Star - £619,141

"And it's on the world stage now, it's become the primary focus for everyone who doesn't have racing in their country at the moment. I guess we have the eyes of the world on us.

"It's a bit tricky being away from home at the moment with everything that's going on, being away from family, but I'm very lucky that I'm able to keep riding."

However, Marquand admitted to fears that Australia will soon follow much of the rest of the world in shutting down racing as the coronavirus pandemic increases its effect.

Reflecting on current virus restrictions in Australia, he said: "I think that over here they're about a week behind England with the measures they're taking.

"All of the restaurants have shut, so have the bars and takeaways and coffee shops but you can still get your necessities – anything apart from that is pretty frowned on.

"I think it's going to end up the same, it's going to have to. But there's no point stopping and coming home to sit on my ass and do nothing."

Marquand has long been talked of as a future champion jockey in Britain and his hunger for winners down under has not gone unnoticed, with his odds for this season's jockeys' championship cut into 10-1 (from 14) by Coral while Betfair are shortest at 5-1.

Coral spokesman Simon Clare said: “Tom Marquand is riding quite brilliantly on the other side of the planet and, in what will be a curtailed 2020 Flat season, he could be a really live outsider for the Flat jockeys’ championship so we have clipped his odds into 10-1 from 14-1."

Marquand, a former champion apprentice, has passed 100 winners for the past two years and enjoyed the best year of his career last season, winning 136 times. He had already notched 12 winners in 2020 before the coronavirus delayed the start of the turf season.

The jockey has built up relationships with a number of top British trainers over the past couple of seasons, riding regularly for the likes of Richard Hannon, William Haggas and Alan King, and he hopes to return to Britain as soon as racing ends in Australia.

"If and when it stops I'll try to be on the next plane home, if I can, but obviously it's getting more and more difficult as it goes on," said Marquand. "I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Tom Marquand: securing his first Group 1 aboard Addeybb at RosehillCredit: Mark Evans (Getty Images)

"I'm hoping I'll be able to get back fine and I've seen on Twitter they've got the aim to get racing for the very start of May. I'm obviously looking forward to getting back and I hope the start of the season can happen and the summer can go ahead as planned."

Holyfield and Vegadaze did their winning behind closed doors at Rosehill and Marquand said: "The first lad won pretty impressively, he's a nice horse going forward. He's a two-year-old who's certainly going to come into his own as he matures.

"The other horse put up quite an impressive front-running performance, he's as tough as old boots and he wasn't going to let them by."

But Marquand will have to wait to add to his Australian tally as he said: "I got a three-day ban the other day. But there are only two days' racing a week so it's wiped me out of Wednesday, Saturday and Wednesday and my next rides will be in a fortnight."

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