Bates returns home following whirlwind year

Following a whirlwind 12 months, expat Cantabrian Logan Bates will return home this weekend to ride on the final day of the New Zealand Cup Carnival.

The Melbourne-based hoop rode on the opening day of the carnival last year, competing against his now-retired mother Kylie Williams, where he bagged two wins, including victory aboard Just Charlie in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m).

He was then taken on a great ride on both sides of the Tasman by Jigsaw, who he rode to victory in the A$1 million Meteorite (1200m), Gr.1 Railway (1200m), Gr.1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) and A$5 million The Quokka (1200m), before resuming this season with victory in the Gr.2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m).

“It has been a big 12 months,” Bates said. “Six months of that time was a whirlwind, and Jigsaw has been great to me.”

Bates said his results on Jigsaw have helped lift his profile, which has led to further opportunities on the track.

“I feel like he is the horse that has set up opportunities like this Saturday for me,” he said. “The opportunities in Melbourne have been plentiful too. I have been hanging in there through the spring carnival at the hardest point of our year, and I was still able to ride in the city, albeit only having one or two on the days, but they were big days, and I am very grateful to be a part of it.”

Outside of Jigsaw, Bates has had several other highlights, including a tight tussle for the Melbourne metropolitan apprentice premiership, as well as being awarded the Victorian Jockeys’ Association Rising Star for the second year in a row.

“I had a good battle through the winter with one of my good mates, Luke Cartwright, for the apprentice metro premiership,” Bates said. “He ended up pulling away on me, but I was able to go two years in a row at metro level running second in the premiership, so that was a pretty cool feeling, and to get beaten by one of your good mates makes the blow a little bit easier to deal with.

“At the racing awards I won the Rising Star award, which is voted by your peers, for the second year running. It was a major shock because I didn’t actually think you could win it two years in a row, I thought it was a one-off thing. To get voted by my peers two years in a row was pretty special and very humbling.”

Bates has also been pleased about consistently riding in the city.

“We all know how hard Australia is, so I am proud of the efforts of being able to stick through and consistently ride at metro level,” he said.

Jigsaw, who is trained by his employer Cindy Alderson, has been the clear highlight of Bates’ career to date, and the gelding was set to give him another great opportunity of riding in Hong Kong next month in the GR.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), however, those plans have been shelved and he will bid to retain his crown in next week’s A$1 million Meteorite (1200m).

“It is just a really tricky setup for him,” Bates said. “Having no Moonee Valley this season threw a big spanner in the works. He failed up the (Flemington) straight last start (when seventh in the Gr.2 McEwen Stakes, 1200m), so it knocked those races out and he didn’t have a great preparation to setup to go to Hong Kong. The Meteorite is next Saturday, and he doesn’t really get that time to recover to go over to Hong Kong. It would have been a great experience for all parties, but I don’t think he is going.”

Bates will get his international fix this weekend when he returns to Christchurch for eight rides at Riccarton on Saturday, including the Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained Kumara Straight in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), and the Bruce Smith-trained Lombardi in the Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m).

“It was a bit of a last-minute call up,” Bates said. “Craig Baker flicked me a text and broached me about riding Shaune Ritchie’s horse in the 2000 Guineas. Melbourne is starting to quieten down now at the end of the spring carnival, so the timing was right and it was worth the trip over.”

Kumara Straight has just had two starts to date, winning on debut over 1400m at Ellerslie last month before finishing runner-up over the same track and distance last week.

“He looks a pretty straightforward horse, he is very professional and puts himself up on speed,” Bates said. “He looks a tractable horse, and he has done everything right to warrant that he is in with a good chance.”

Lombardi also presents as an exciting prospect in the New Zealand Cup following his runner-up effort behind Just Charlie in last Saturday’s Metropolitan Trophy.

“I am getting on the old boy, he has had a few spins around and I was glad to see when he had drawn low (4),” Bates said. “He should be able to get a sweet run and do little work from the low draw, which will suit over that sort of trip.”

Bates is also looking forward to riding Loose Sally in the Dakins Group Premier (1400m) for trainer Shankar Muniandy, and said it has a nostalgic feel to it.

“I don’t mind Shankar’s horse. I haven’t had a good look at the race yet, but she has got a good record,” he said.

“I remember when I was a kid, Shankar was riding. He was a good jockey and he looks like he is doing numbers in the training ranks, so I am looking forward to getting on his horse.”

While looking forward to his rides on Saturday, Bates is also excited to catch up with family in his old hometown, albeit for only a few hours due to commitments back in Australia.

“It has been a while,” he said. “The last time I came over was for the Karaka Millions meeting in January. Mum is coming over to Melbourne next month, but I beat her to it.

“I am pretty flat out. I rode yesterday, and I fly out tomorrow lunchtime, get in tomorrow night, ride Saturday and then fly back Sunday morning for trials on Monday. There is no rest for the wicked.”