Confidence Rising. Chris Taylor is enjoying the opportunities in PE.
It is very often the lucky breaks coupled with raw hard work and tenacity, more than personal marketing plans and distributing portfolios, that give the intrinsically naturally talented jockeys the opportunities they need to showcase their true abilities. This has been the turnaround for the internationally experienced, but largely unheralded jockey Chris Taylor, who is slowly breaking ground down PE way.
Chris ‘Chippy’ Taylor demonstated his natural balance and talent when he rode an outrageous hat-trick at Arlington on Friday. We term it outrageous as all three winners were at double figure odds and were steered home like odds-on favourites. The personable Durban-based thirty-two year old’s ‘lucky break’ came partly by way of Sherman Brown’s selection for the two-header jockey international held on the first weekend of November in Johannesburg and Cape Town and he showed his appreciation by riding a double at Fairview on 11 November 2011.
Taylor earned his nickname courtesy of the late Gordon Whyte and the current Hong Kong-based Douglas Whyte for whom he worked as a kit boy as a greenhorn sixteen year old apprentice. Gordon Whyte was tragically killed in an air-crash in January 1995 and his labelling of ‘Chippy’, for the young man who, they thought, laughed like a chipmunk, has stuck like superglue over the ensuing years.
Friday’s hat-trick of winners was the third treble of his career. His first was in Kimberley when serving the final week of his apprenticeship in December 1998 and the other was in Qatar in the 2004/5 season when he led the jockey log. The third leg of that treble was registered on an objection after veteran Paul Whitmore had crossed him in the final stages of a race on a temperamental animal.
Taylor puts his new found form and confidence down to the fact that he was being given the opportunity on horses with some sort of form and being able to ride them as he found them. He pointed out that all of his three winners on Friday were ridden contrary to suggested tactics, but says that he was not tied down to any specifics as they were all drawn out wide.
First of Three! Taylor steers Parceval to a smooth debut win.
His first winner was on the unfancied first-timer Parceval for the Shaun Miller yard. He says that the Markus and Ingrid Jooste owned horse is a handful at the gates and Assistant trainer Byron Foster and fellow rider MJ Byleveld gave him the right advice on how to get him in with minimal fuss. Calling it ‘pure teamwork’, Chris said that without the educated and informed input, the quality son of Silvano would probably not have won.
He rode the winner of the very next race when the well-bred Mitch Wiese gelding Shujaa followed up on his maiden win by scoring in the 1800m Novice Plate. Taylor says he won readily and he is a horse to watch over ground.
His third winner was for the high-riding Barry Steenkamp-Dorrie Sham partnership in the final leg of the jackpot. Chris says that Endless Spirit is a lovely filly but appeared largely in her place after her maiden win in August. He conceded that the daughter of King Of Kings had always shown her best form over the Arlington 1000m but as her last few runs had been very disappointing, the team opted for the blinkers. This actually appeared to have calmed her down and it was the first time that she was given an opportunity to run on instead of blitzing to the front, which had been her previous natural style. She was beautifully settled and set alight late down the outside rail to win going away.
He says that teamwork was the key to the Steenkamp-Sham success formula and he made the interesting observation that every horse he rides for them is discussed with Dorrie and Mark Sham, Rocky Agrella and Sherman Brown. He said it was a pleasure being associated with ‘true professionals.’
The low-key but highly effective Steenkamp-Sham partnership has had a rather quiet but very successful ascendancy from their launch on 2 April 2011. They sent out Bob ‘n Weave to win the Listed Glendore Sprint in scintillating style at Arlington on 2 December and also train the revelation, Tic Tak Toe, who has won four of his six starts in the Eastern Cape since joining his new yard.
For the first time in his recent regular stint in Port Elizabeth, Chris Taylor has a jam-packed card of eight rides at Fairview today, 9 December: “ It is now up to me to build on my good start to this season. I wish to thank all the PE trainers, but in particular I must acknowledge Charlie Roberts, who gave me the initial chances. My new agent, ex-jockey, Hadley “Jack” Augustus, is also doing great work for me. I only had the ride on Endless Spirit last Friday at final declarations and Jack was able to scramble another three rides for the day, which all landed up earning cheques. Talk about humble beginnings,” he laughed.
On his eight rides today, Chris said he wasn’t a tipster but was trying his best to win on all of them.
Hadley Augustus may be contacted on 0727200889 for Chris’ bookings at all centres. .
