Josh Parr ready to add to his unique Hawkesbury riding record
Josh Parr is keen to enhance his unique riding record on a racetrack where he has had ridden more winners than any other at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
The top jockey is the only rider to win all four feature races at the iconic stand-alone meeting – the Group 3 treble of the Hawkesbury Gold Cup, Crown and Guineas and the Listed Hawkesbury XXXX Gold Rush.
In fact, Parr, who has ridden nearly 1100 winners during his career, has had more success at Hawkesbury than any other racetrack, riding 141 winners at the picturesque provincial course at an outstanding 20 per cent strike – a winner in every five rides.
Josh Parr will partner Victorian visitor Just Folk in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup.
The Hawkesbury stand-alone does have metropolitan status with Parr commanding a very good book of rides with leading chances in the four major races.
"I have good rides in the feature races at Hawkesbury again this year so with a bit of luck and good management, I hope to have another nice day," Parr said.
Parr partners Victorian raider Just Folk in the $200,000 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m), a race he won previously on Archedemus two years ago. Just Folk, rated a $9.50 chance in latest TAB Fixed Odds betting, comes to Hawkesbury after successive fourths in the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap at Flemington and the Golden Mile at Bendigo.
"I haven't ridden Just Folk before but I know he likes soft ground," said Parr after learning Hawkesbury was rated a soft 5. The timing seems nice for him being third-up from a spell and he's drawn a nice gate."
Parr has won the Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) three times on Serenissima (2010), Pecans (2018) and Irithea (2019) and he is aiming for a fourth win in the $200,000 mares race on Tycoon Evie ($6.50).
Tycoon Evie (outside) has trialled nicely ahead of Saturday's Hawkesbury Crown. Picture: Trackside Photography
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Tycoon Evie was a luckless first-up second to Jal Lei in the Group 3 Wenona Girl Quality back on March 4 and hasn't raced since, instead trialling well at Randwick earlier this month.
"I'm quite keen to get aboard her tomorrow," Parr said.
"That incident in the back end of her race last start when she nearly crashed wasn't ideal but she has come through that well. The wide barrier is a definite negative but that is the only negative I could find with her."
Parr is riding for his second win in the $200,000 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) on the Anthony Cummings-trained Kote ($6.50) to complement his 2018 win on Sambro. Kote can be a handful to ride and is trial at 1400m so Cummings is hoping Parr can find some cover early in the race.
"It's a difficult situation," Parr admitted.
"You have that style of horse that is very bold-going and takes a lot of compromising to settle.
"However, he is going up to the 1400m where the tempo is slower so you can often find yourself between a rock and a hard place when you are looking for cover on a speed horse.
Josh Parr with combine with Bjorn Baker's classy sprinter Malkovich in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush. Picture: Grant Guy
"Let's just hope whatever position we find ourselves in it's in a nice, relaxed manner."
Parr, who won the inaugural The Quokka on the Bjorn Baker-trained Overpass last week, joins forces with the Baker stable on the speedy Malkovich in the $160,000 Hawkesbury XXXX Gold Rush (1100m).
Malkovich is at $5.50 and pressing for favouritism in the Rush which Parr won on Tactical Advantage in 2020. "He's in really good shape," Parr said of Malkovich.
"He nearly won this race last year and being an on-speed galloper, they are usually suited at Hawkesbury."
Parr has seven rides at the Hawkesbury meeting including the Team Snowden-trained import Unspoken in the Blakes Marine Benchmark 78 Handicap (1800m).
"Unspoken is a really nice horse," Parr said. "His first run in Australia was on the Kensington track and they went that crazy speed up front, the field was stretched right out.
"It turned into a tough gallop for a horse that was first-up but he was really strong through the line and that gives me a lot of confidence going to Hawkesbury."
Meanwhile, dual Golden Slipper-winning jockey Brenton Avdulla has secured a three-month contract to ride in Hong Kong.
Brenton Avdulla will head to Hong Kong for a three month riding stint starting next month. Picture: Getty Images
Avdulla has been contracted to ride in Hong Kong from May 1 through until the end of the season in late July. A premier Sydney jockey in 2017-18, Avdulla has ridden over 1300 career winners including 13 at Group 1 level.
Avdulla's enjoyed another successful season in 2022-23 with 35.5 city wins to be firmly entrenched in Sydney's top ranking including his win in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap on Ellsberg (dead-heat with Top Ranked).
The talented jockey has won two Golden Slippers on Estijaab (2018) and Fireburn (2022), two Randwick Guineas on Ilovethiscity (2011) and Lion's Roar (2021), Victoria Oaks on Lasqueti Spirit (2016) and Lightning Stakes on Snitzerland (2014).
Avdulla, who has eight rides at the Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting on Saturday, is the second Sydney jockey to move to Hong Kong this season.
■ Banju qualified for the $2 million The Big Dance with a game win in the $200,000 Tamworth Gold Cup (1400m) at Tamworth on Friday.
The Lyle Chandler-trained Banju ($9) finished too strongly for High Court ($17) to win by a length with Commando Hunt ($15) a half length away third.
