There are jockeys who ride races, and there are jockeys who shape carnivals. Through a busy Sydney autumn, Zac Lloyd is shaping up as the latter. With his Golden Slipper ride confirmed aboard the Mick Price and Michael Kent jnr-trained Guest House, Lloyd is now working to help two additional two-year-olds earn their place in the March 21 showpiece at Rosehill.
Guest House, a colt by Home Affairs, finished an unlucky third in last Saturday's $2 million Blue Diamond Stakes. The prizemoney from that run was enough to punch his ticket for the Slipper, and Lloyd is already relishing the assignment.
"Very thankful that they offered me the ride. He ran very well on the weekend. He looks like a two-year-old who's very natural, he's pacy, which is very good for the Slipper," Lloyd said.
The stable plans to trial Guest House in a couple of weeks, giving Lloyd a chance to settle on the $18 (TAB) Slipper chance before the race day atmosphere arrives. Some minor adjustments to the colt's mannerisms are also in the works, with connections confident a cleaner performance is within reach.
Lloyd's Saturday card is no less interesting. He again partners Spicy Miss, trained by Ciaron Maher, in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick. The filly has shown genuine quality this preparation, finishing second in both the Golden Gift and the Lonhro Plate under Lloyd's care, and she already holds enough prizemoney to earn a Slipper start. The stable, though, wants confirmation she belongs in that company.
A wide draw in gate ten complicates the picture, but Lloyd is cautiously optimistic. "A bit of rain around, the 1200 metres at Randwick's a bit forgiving," he noted. "She's finally versing her own sex, which is obviously a big help. She tries very hard. She's got nice ability." A fresher Spicy Miss, he suggested, should improve sharply on her previous run.
The more pressing Slipper question belongs to Star Of Jamaica, the Profiteer colt trained by Chris and Corey Munce. Lloyd rode him to fourth in the Inglis Millennium and takes the ride again in Saturday's Skyline Stakes. The catch: connections have paid a $150,000 late entry fee to put him in the Slipper, and he needs to win to justify that outlay. Blinkers go on for the first time, and Lloyd believes they will help an already quick colt channel his talent more cleanly. "He's going to have to improve, but he competed well in the Millennium," Lloyd said.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Lloyd partners Aeliana in the Verry Elleegant Stakes against the highly regarded Autumn Glow, and picks up a new association for the Surround Stakes. He rides Victorian raider Ole Dancer for trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, a daughter of notable breeding who won the Thousand Guineas and arrives at $10 in a race dominated by the heavily favoured Tempted at $1.60.
"It's my first ride for Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, so very happy to partner with them and especially on a filly like her. Tempted is going to be very, very hard to beat," Lloyd acknowledged.
The Racing NSW calendar makes the next few Saturdays among the most consequential of the two-year-old season. The Golden Slipper, run over 1200 metres at Rosehill, is the world's richest race for two-year-olds and a defining moment for Australian thoroughbred racing. For Lloyd, who also holds the Slipper engagement aboard the Chris Waller-trained Hidrix as a backup should circumstances change, the next fortnight is a masterclass in managing competing priorities with limited room for error.
Hidrix, also an $18 Slipper chance, runs in the Todman Stakes on Saturday week after Lloyd guided him to victory in the Canonbury Stakes and third in the Silver Slipper. The $1.7 million colt remains a live contender.
Racing at this level rewards patience and timing as much as raw speed. Lloyd appears to understand that as well as any rider in the country right now, and with several Slipper threads still unresolved, the next three weeks will tell us a great deal about both the horses and the man steering them.