@MichaelManley_1 RACING.COM
Although the odds are stacked against Craig Williams overhauling Blake Shinn in the Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership, he intends to fight it out until the final race of the season.
Williams rode a winning treble at Flemington compared to Shinn’s one win and reduced the margin to five winners with three meetings left.
He was successful on Duchess Zou and Sayedaty Sadady for Ciaron Maher and then on Losesomewinmore for Richard and Chantelle Jolly.
There are three meetings left in the 2024-25 season, with two Wednesday meetings at Sandown Hillside and Caulfield on Saturday.
“There are 25 races left. I love hunting. That’s what I do best. My manager Jason Breen is doing a fantastic job,” Williams said.
“Blake is an amazing rider. I said to him you’re killing me; you’re like the road runner.”
Williams said his rides were done for Wednesday, almost done for Saturday and the final meeting on July 30 were falling into place.
He said he would ride for Godolphin and James Cummings in the Bletchingly Stakes on one of their potential runners trio in Kin, Kallos and Inhibitions.
Williams said he tried to persuade Joe Pride to run the Sir John Monash Stakes winner In Flight in the Bletchingly Stakes, but he was unsuccessful.
Williams said it wasn’t just Shinn he was up against for race wins. He said Jamie and Ben Melham, Ethan Brown and John Allen were among the riders he was competing against, and that was before others such as Mark Zahra returned from holidays.
“The depth of riding talent in Victoria is amazing,” he said.
Williams has deferred his planned trip to Ukraine until he has ridden at Sandown on July 30.
“I’m flying out on July 30 to deliver humanitarian aid and survival kits to Ukraine as people have been supporting our project. We’ve got to go there and deliver,” he said.
“Blake has changed our timetable. I’ll be back riding on August 16.”
After his treble on Flemington on Saturday, Williams was doing what he always does and that’s promote racing. The jockey took time out after the last race to take photos with a group of kids and then again 15 minutes after the race he headed to a group which had lined the mounting yard to greet him.
Williams gave out his goggles to children after each win.
“Kids go home and say they got this from the races. Not from Craig Williams but from the races,” he said. “These kids are our future. I know if I was a kid and got something from someone I looked up to, it would be quite special.”