Fresh from his first winning ride at Gympie on Saturday, jockey Justin Stanley is hoping to continue his successful form with a strong book of six rides at Rockhampton on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old Justin Stanley has ridden on most tracks throughout the state but broke new ground at Gympie when he won aboard the Clinton Taylor-trained Fiery Exchange in the QTIS Maiden Plate over 850 metres.
Stanley does a lot of his riding for the Taylor stable and will have mounts for the Rockhampton-based stable at Callaghan Park.
"I had never ridden at Gympie before but I've been to most other country and provincials tracks around the state," Stanley said.
"I went to ride one of Clinton's and being a TAB meeting with good prize money it was hard to knock back even though it was my only ride for the day."
Stanley is currently fourth in the Queensland jockeys' premiership and is no hope of catching runaway leader James Orman.
He is second with 76 wins – 14 wins behind leader Ryan Wiggins - in the provincial jockeys' title.
It's not a bad effort considering Stanley was sidelined with a shoulder injury early in the season and his novel Gympie victory came after he won the $200,000 Battle of The Bush at Doomben on Ammoudi Bay (pictured) on June 25.
"I hurt my AC joint in my left shoulder and had to have surgery and missed several months riding following a fall at Gatton," Stanley said.
It followed a mishap 18 months ago when he injured a wrist at Townsville, which also sidelined him for several months.
Of Stanley's six rides at Rockhampton, four are for Taylor and he rates In Order, in the Class 6 Handicap over 1300 metres, as one of his best rides for the day.
In Order is coming off a last start second for rival Ash Butler in a 1050 metre Benchmark race at Rockhampton on July 8.
The four-year-old was previously placed when ridden by Stanley in a 1300 metre Benchmark race at Callaghan Park in March.
"He ran second at his first run back from a break for Ash and I thought he was a bit unlucky that day," Stanley said.
"Clint is happy with the way she's come on since her first-up run and she drops three kilos.
"It's only a small field and the top weight Bombasay looks the one to beat."
Bombasay, a Tiffany Brooker mount, is from the Daryl Hansen stable at Caloundra, and is looking for her first win for the stable start since being transferred from NSW trainer Dean Smith.
The rising seven-year-old has won five of her 26 starts and wasn't disgraced when third to the Adrian Coome-trained Plenty over 1200 metres at Rockhampton on June 24.
