LEADING apprentice jockey Jake Pracey-Holmes will ride at Orange and Gilgandra meetings this weekend before starting a two-week suspension coming out of last Friday’s TAB meeting held at Dubbo.
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After riding The Conductor in the 1300m maiden handicap, the Dubbo jockey pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding when he was found to have shifted out when insufficiently clear of Lucky Liaison approaching the 1100m.
Pracey-Holmes starts his suspension on Monday, January 2 and is able to take rides from January 15 onwards.
On the same Dubbo program, Wellington based apprentice jockey Jeremy Hammond was given a short suspension from December 12 until January 1 after pleading guilty to a careless riding charge while riding Corporal Jones in the class 1 handicap over 1400m - a race he won.
A third apprentice, Joe Saiki was also outed for a week (January 2-9) when he allowed Macca’s Girl to shift in during the running of the benchmark 46 handicap (900m) at Wellington on Boxing Day.
After enjoying a wonderful run of successes in recent times, Pracey-Holmes has been in keen demand by owners and trainers for this weekend’s meeting.
At the Orange TAB meeting on Saturday afternoon, he has a full book of seven rides - including topweight July Opera for Gary Nickson (Warwick Farm) in the class 3 handicap (1400m) and Sticky Danish for Bathurst trainer Sarah Murray-Leslie in the benchmark 55 handicap (1000m).
July Opera was ridden to a good win last start at Bathurst by Pracey-Holmes.
Last Friday at Dubbo Pracey-Holmes won the feature Christmas Cup on Moment of Clarity, prepared by Murray-Leslie and has built up a major profile with the stable.
On Sunday the young jockey who is indentured to Dubbo trainer Peter Nestor will be at Gilgandra for the non-TAB meeting. Again he has a full book of six rides.
In what should be a great weekend for punters Orange has seven races starting at 1.10pm while at Gilgandra on the first day of their New Year Carnival, the maiden plate over 1550m will get things underway. The feature Harry McKechnie Memorial Cup (1300m) is at 5.35pm.
Racing will return to Gilgandra for the TAB Cup meeting on Sunday week, January 8. Nominations close on Tuesday for all races, including the $22,000 Gilgandra Cup (1600m).
Orange also has another TAB meeting on Saturday, January 7 with seven races. Noms also close Tuesday.
