From packing his bags to glory days: Morgan out to cap amazing season
At the start of this season, getting the ride on an early favourite in a stakes race in town would have been a major moment for Ash Morgan.
But then again, at the start of the season, the Newcastle-based Welshman was thinking about packing his bags and going home to the UK as well.
Now a group 1-winning, in-demand jockey in Sydney, Morgan will look to add to his 'incredible' season with a sixth stakes victory when he rides Glory Daze in the listed WJ McKell Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
All five of Morgan's Australian stakes wins have come this year, after riding Iowna Merc to victory in the listed Canterbury Sprint on New Year's Day. The real turning point, though, came on November 2 when he took Private Harry to his maiden win at Newcastle. The Nathan Doyle-trained colt remains unbeaten in five starts, giving Morgan his biggest wins, in the group 1 Galaxy and $3 million Magic Millions Sunlight, and changing his life in the process.
'It's been incredible,' Morgan said.
'Before Harry won his maiden, I was thinking I might just pack my bags up and go home. Then I won the maiden on him and I thought, no, I better stay a bit longer.
'But there was a time I was thinking that. My daughter is at home, in Ireland, and I'm thinking, what am I doing?
'I was riding plenty of winners, but it wasn't what I wanted to do, but then he won his maiden and there was a reason to stay.'
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