On Track - Autumn 2021

17 “We’ve got the number one jockey on. She’s the next superstar of the sport. Everyone is trying to get her on and we’ve got her,” Dalziel said. She will become only the second female jockey to have ridden in the race. Perth jockey Lucy Warwick finished tenth at Flemington in 2019 on Material Man. Dalziel said they had a key advantage in getting Kah to ride Mr Quickie as she was successful on him in the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield last year. “That was her first Melbourne Group 1 winner and it was in one of the feature miles. Naturally, we were going to try and get into the All-Star Mile after winning the Toorak,” he said. It will be the second All-Star Mile appearance for Mr Quickie as he finished ninth last year behind Regal Power at Caulfield. Dalziel said Mr Quickie’s trainer Phillip Stokes had trained him differently this year. Last year they attempted to win the race first-up, but this time they are attacking it second-up. “We’ve gone the more traditional way this time. First-up 1400 metres into 1600 metres. That’s what we used to do early in his career with success.” Dalziel said that Phillip Stokes was now training him as “a miler” as that is his best distance. “We worked out that he’s a miler. Last spring, we were looking at the Ladbrokes Cox Plate and the Mackinnon, then we changed plans and went for the Toorak,” he said. Dalziel said even if they didn’t get enough votes, they thought the Toorak Handicap win might get him in. He said Mr Quickie’s breeders and part-owners’ Anthony Mithen and Nigel Austin from Rosemont Stud believed he would get a wildcard into the race. Rosemont Stud also stand Mr Quickie’s sire Shamus Award as one of their stallions. They sold Mr Quickie as a yearling to Dalziel for $115,000, but a subsequent dream from Austin that the horse would go on to win a Cox Plate, saw them stay in the horse. After Mr Quickie won the Queensland Derby, they had some enormous offers from Hong Kong, which were knocked back. Dalziel believes Mr Quickie is ready to run a big race in the All-Star Mile. “Phillip is really happy with him. Jamie said his last start was awesome, and she believes he will be suited by the track. He’s had one start at The Valley for a second in the Moonee Valley Cup. We can’t wait.” Michael Manley has covered racing as a journalist for over 30 years at the Herald Sun, The Age and Geelong Advertiser. Jamie Kah on top weight Mr. Quickie winning the Group 1 Toorak Handicap in October 2020.