GREG Ryan has enjoyed plenty of success at the Gilgandra track over the years so it would be fitting if the champion Dubbo jockey could bring up yet another milestone there on Saturday.
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Ryan has a full book of five rides on the Gilgandra club's non-TAB program, and needs just three victories to break through the 100-win mark for the 2014/15 season.
His current tally of 97 wins has him 10.5 clear of Robert Thompson in the battle for the NSW country jockeys premiership, while he sits behind only James McDonald, Blake Shinn, Hugh Bowman, Tommy Berry and Brenton Avdulla in the race for the overall state title.
With the hunt for the century well and truly on, Ryan's achievement is made even better when you consider that he spent the first few weeks of this season serving a suspension.
Two of his rides at Gilgandra will be for Orange-based trainer Jeff Brasch, however his best chance appears to Princess Bea, trained at Dubbo by Bridget Jones.
Ryan and Jones enjoyed great success together with the trainer's star sprinter Murray's Sun, and that run continued recently when the hoop steered Princess Bea to victory at Parkes back on June 6.
The four-year-old is likely to started as one of the favourites in the Wideland Ag & Construction Benchmark 45 Handicap (1000m), a race in which she has drawn gate nine.
Ryan's other leading chance is Be Happy, the well-bred filly prepared by Brasch that will compete in the Gilgandra Services Club Maiden Plate (1200m).
Owned by David Baxter's Macquarie Stud, the Bernadini (USA) x Luellen filly put in the best run of her four-start career when she finished second behind Divine Design at Parkes, also on June 6.
If Ryan doesn't reach the ton at Gilgandra on Saturday, he should still mark the milestone in the coming days as he has rides in six of the seven races at Muswellbrook on Sunday, and will also take five mounts at Gunnedah on Monday.
