Racing
Another Japanese stint on the horizon for King
Rachel King will spend a month of the Sydney winter riding in Japan.
Rachel King has been racking up her frequent flyer points this season and her travel schedule isn't slowing down any time soon.
The UK-born hoop spent much of the summer riding in Japan where she created history by becoming the first female to win a Grade 1 race, taking out the February Stakes aboard Costa Nova at Tokyo.
Over the past couple of months, she has been splitting her time between Sydney and Queensland, plying her trade in her adopted hometown during the week and at the Brisbane winter carnival meetings on Saturdays, including at Eagle Farm last weekend where she won a Listed race on the Craig Cousins-trained The Inflictor.
"I have been up there most weeks during the carnival," King said.
"It has felt like a long carnival going up and down every week but I had a couple of winners throughout. It was mixed results this year but it can be like that.
"It was great to get one for Craig Cousins last Saturday as he only has one or two in work."
King will be in action at Rosehill this Saturday where one early scratching has left her with rides in eight of the 10 races, two of them for James Cummings.
Godolphin's newly gelded Tarpaulin shapes as one of her better chances when he resumes in the 50 Year and Life Member Handicap (1100m) having posted back-to-back wins in Sydney last winter and finished fourth in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) during the spring.
"For them to be aiming up in those kind of races last preparation shows that he showed them something at home," King said.
"I always look forward to riding for the Godolphin team. He has taken a step down in grade a little bit to hopefully get a nice bit of confidence."
She will also partner Contemporary for the same yard in the Listed Winter Stakes (1400m), the gelding having placed in similar grade two starts ago.
He has a handy Rosehill record with a win and three placings from seven starts and should be at his peak after three runs from a spell.
"It has been a while since I've ridden him and he has been mixing his form, but he ran really well a couple of runs back so if he can bounce back to that, he can run well again," she said.
While many jockeys take a short break during the winter, King won't be one of them.
She is heading overseas mid-month for a four-week riding stint before returning in time for the early carnival races, nominating Sydney Cup winner Arapaho as the horse she is most excited to get back aboard in the spring.
"I go back to Japan in about two weeks for another month and I will be back before any of those good races start at the end of August," she said.
"I am always happy for Arapaho to be back, especially after his super prep last prep. I can never go past him."
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