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| Staff Writer |
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Nash Rawiller, who has been suspended and as a result cannot participate in two of Melbourne's biggest races this spring, is now directing his attention towards winning a lucrative double in Sydney.
The skilled jockey, who has been performing at his best, faced consequences for his careless riding on Power Of The Brave during the Randwick-Kensington meeting on Wednesday.
He decided to serve his penalty immediately to make it back in time for his Golden Eagle mount on Hawaii Five Oh at Rosehill on 4th November. Unfortunately, this meant he had to give up his ride on Montefilia in the Caulfield Cup this weekend and Fangirl in the Cox Plate. Blake Shinn will now ride Montefilia, while the jockey for Fangirl is still to be confirmed. Rawiller expressed disappointment in missing out on these two great opportunities.
“This time of year it is very costly, you make a slight mistake in a race like that yesterday and it has cost me an opportunity to win a Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate,” Rawiller told Sky Racing radio.
“It is something that plays heavily on your mind, but we’ve got a job to do and you’ve got to try to keep owners and trainers happy.”
Rawiller had teamed up with Montefilia in her previous win at the Hill Stakes at Randwick and was looking forward to riding her at Caulfield after losing weight to meet the required 54.5kg weight limit. Given his experience of winning the Caulfield Cup with Elvstroem in 2004, he had high hopes for the mare's performance in the upcoming race.
“It sends tingles down your spine the feel they give you those good ones, and she gave me that,” Rawiller said.
“She was too good an opportunity going into the Caulfield Cup not to take.
“It’s just a shame what’s happened.”
Rawiller may have been disappointed, but he's not letting it get him down. Instead, he's setting his sights on his next challenge - the A$10 million Golden Eagle on Hawaii Five Oh. On top of that, he's excited to be riding the impressive gelding Cepheus again in the A$3 million Big Dance at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.
“We’ve still got a couple of bullets to fire,” he said.