Latest news with #Pinn
NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Mick On Monday: Pinn to try his luck in New South Wales
Pinn had an extended winter stint in Victoria two years ago and has grown as a rider since, clearly establishing himself as one of our best with the all-important temperament for black-type racing. But with Sydney being one of the world's most lucrative racing jurisdictions, Pinn says he wants to at least dip his toe in the water. 'I think the time is right, with winter coming up at home and all the major races for the season done,' Pinn told the Herald. 'I came over last week and rode at the trials on Thursday and have been riding some work for Chris. 'Obviously I'd love to get on some of his horses race-day but essentially I will be a freelance rider. 'Riding in town [metropolitan meetings] is the main aim but I won't be scared to travel around the state to establish myself so am open to offers.' Just how established Pinn gets will be keenly watched by New Zealand trainers and punters, who will be hoping he returns in the new season. 'Anything is possible at the moment but the idea is to head back home in the spring,' he says. 'But if things go really well then who knows. There is a lot of money and a lot of racing in New South Wales so I will see how I fit in. 'I have some really smart horses I could be riding back home in the spring though, horses like El Vencedor which are hard to get on anywhere so yes I am thinking I will come back but as we all know things can change.' Pinn's partner Tayla Mitchell, a one-time apprentice premiership winner, will join him in Sydney soon while serving a suspension but her winter plans are not as concrete. Leading jockeys leaving New Zealand for the winter is nothing new as most of the biggest names take some sort of winter holiday, some simply riding less as stakes decrease. Jumps racing means less options and trainers use apprentice allowances more on the often heavy tracks. And some of the most senior riders simply don't want to burn out riding 12 months of the year so use winter as their freshen up. While New Zealand will never be able to compete with the stakes and scale of Australian racing there has never been a more profitable time to be a jockey here, with 28 domestic jockeys each having ridden the winners of over $1m in stakes so far this season. Remarkably three visiting Australian-based jockeys have also ridden more than $1m worth of winners in New Zealand this season, with Blake Shinn's mounts winning $2.7m in stakes even though he had only 20 rides here. Ex-pats Rory Hutchings and Mick Dee have also bagged over $1m in stakes here, Dee winning $1,569,300 for connections in just nine rides.
NZ Herald
26-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Travis Stakes redemption for Val Di Zoldo
A return to Te Rapa for a second shot at the Travis Stakes brought redemption for Val Di Zoldo and Pinn. The pair enjoyed a comfortable run, three back on the rail, as Town Cryer and Our Jumala showed the way up to the home turn. Pinn angled the five-year-old into the clear at the top of the home straight, and Val Di Zoldo soon warmed into her work. She surged past Town Cryer and Our Jumala with just over 100m to run, then held out a big finish from Islington Lass to win by a neck. Pinn summed up the feelings of all of Val Di Zoldo's connections with a fist pump after the finish line. 'I think Wiremu will really enjoy that,' trainer Tony Pike said. 'He's ridden her a few times with absolutely no luck. She should have won this race last year. To get the win today is a little bit of payback. 'It was a beautiful ride by Wiremu. He settled three back at the fence and then came off at the right time.'Val Di Zoldo has now won four of her 31 starts and $325,915 in stakes. She won the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) as a three-year-old in March of 2023, but then went winless for more than two years before this month's Manawatu Breeders' Stakes and Travis Stakes successes. 'She's always been a very good mare, and she's honestly the most unlucky mare I've ever trained,' Pike said. 'So she really deserves these two stakes wins that she's put together this autumn. She's going to be a lovely broodmare later on as well.' She'd been out of the winners' circle for two years before that win two years ago, but it's not her fault. She probably should have won three or four races during that period. To get this win today is fantastic for her owners. 'There's now the possibility of the Rotorua Cup (Listed, 2200m) in a couple of weeks' time. She ran in that last year and probably didn't quite see out the 2200m. We'll have a talk to the owners and make a decision. We might just put her out and then bring her back for the spring.' Bred by the late Kevin Hickman, Val Di Zoldo is raced by Robert and Kim De Courcy under their Kinsale Bloodstock banner after she was purchased for $285,000 by Bruce Sherwin out of the Valachi Downs Unreserved Young & Racing Stock Dispersal Sale.
