CHAMPION jockey Glen Boss wants to remind everyone of his big-race talents when he rides Ocean Park in the $1.5 million ATC Australian Derby at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Boss has hardly ridden in Sydney this autumn and was at a routine Caulfield meeting last Saturday when the Golden Slipper meeting, the richest race-day in Australia, was being held at Rosehill Gardens last week.
But Boss, winner of 74 Group 1 races during his celebrated career, concedes he has been struggling for feature race rides since returning from a serious shoulder injury back in January.
"I just can't get a ride up there (in Sydney)," the Melbourne-based jockey said. "Everything I've rung for, I can't get on.
"When you come back from injury, it is difficult to get the good rides but that is the way it is, this is a results-driven game, I understand that and I'm not complaining."
Boss has five rides on Saturday but his only Group 1 mount is Ocean Park in the Derby. It's a far cry from 12 months ago when Boss was the jockey-of-the-moment, winning four Group 1 races during the Sydney autumn carnival including the Australian Derby on Shamrocker.
"I had a great Sydney carnival then went to Singapore and rode well there for three months," Boss said.
"When I returned to Melbourne, I was only back a couple of weeks when I smashed my shoulder and was out for nearly five months. I had Pinker Pinker and Dunaden lined up to ride in the spring before I was injured and they won the Cox Plate and Melbourne (Cup).
"Since I've been back, I feel I'm riding well, riding plenty of winners, and I've just got to keep working hard to get back into people's psyche."
Boss feels he has a real opportunity to get back into Group 1-winning mode and claims a fourth ATC Australian Derby on Ocean Park.
Ocean Park is at $4.80 in TAB Sportsbet fixed odds Derby betting behind Laser Hawk $3.20 and Silent Achiever $4. The trio fought out the Rosehill Guineas finish last start with Laser Hawk narrowly holding off Ocean Park and Silent Achiever.
"I thought Ocean Park's run in the Guineas was as good a Derby trial as I have seen for a while," Boss said. "He got back on a tempo that didn't really suit. It was a muddling pace and we had to go at about the half mile (a800m).
"He showed really good stamina to get to the line and finish second. Laser Hawk is a nice horse and probably deserves to be favourite but I'd be surprised if my horse isn't in the finish again."
