19 year old Newcastle apprentice jockey Dylan Gibbons’ masterly ride on 4yo Significant Rule at Newcastle on Saturday impressed one of Australia’s leading trainers in Adrian Bott.
Bott co-trains the gelding with Gai Waterhouse and it was Gibbons’ first ride for the powerhouse stable. Significant Rule contested the 1400m Maiden Plate and he defied an amazing $2.10 to $5 betting drift to win by 1 ½ lengths.
The winner drew a wide barrier and he had to work hard to lead clearly after 400m. Gibbons held the lightly raced galloper together until the top of the straight where he went for home. Significant Rule quickly put three or four lengths on the chasers and despite racing greenly held on to score.
Bott was full of praise for both horse and jockey.
“Significant Rule is talented but is a difficult horse to ride, particularly for an apprentice in his first season. He had to work hard from the wide barrier but once he reached a clear lead Dylan rated him perfectly. The horse had a good kick when Dylan let him go. That was only the horses second start in 15 months and he will improve a lot. I haven’t seen a lot of Dylan but on the back of that ride he will receive more opportunities from our stable. It was a very impressive ride as he had to change his whip hand in the straight when Significant Rule was drifting in towards the rail” Bott said.
Unfortunately for Gibbons stewards suspended him for interference on runner up I Love Lucy in the opening event, the 900m Maiden Plate. Stewards found that the apprentice allowed his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of eventual winner Mura Mura. His suspension commences on July 4 and expires on July 12.
“I pleaded guilty and it is a set back – I will miss the Grafton Carnival. I have ridden 74 winners and my target is eighty before the season ends on July 31. Eighty winners would mean I lose my country claim in my first season.
I was excited to have my first ride for the Waterhouse-Bott stable and so happy the horse won. I Love Lucy which finished second went super and will be winning soon” Gibbons said.
The regions other boom apprentice Reece Jones produced a well-judged front running ride to win the final event the 1200m Benchmark 64 Handicap aboard $12 chance Unpredicted. Trained by Jones’ Scone based boss Rod Northam, Unpredicted led all the way.
Jones leads the NSW apprentice premiership with 87 ½ winners with Gibbons in second place on 75.
- Tuesday, June 29 2021