Jaden Lloyd and brother Zac chasing Group 1 double dream on Stradbroke Handicap day
Jaden Lloyd doesn't want to tempt fate but admits the thought of him and younger brother Zac both winning Group 1 races on the same day has crossed his mind.
The 21-year-old Zac rides $19 chance Bosustow in the Stradbroke Handicap as the defending champion in the 1400m major after winning on Stefi Magnetica last year.
Jaden will jump on board $34 shot Call Da Vinci in the earlier JJ Atkins (1600m) for two-year-olds.
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'I'd drop the mic, I'd retire,' Jaden joked about the possibility of both brothers winning their respective Group 1s.
'It would be unbelievable. Zac was here on Tuesday night and my partner (fellow jockey Courtney Ferris) mentioned that.
'Even if I can't win, at least if Zac can win the Stradbroke it'd be great.'
Jaden, 23, will ride in his third Group 1 on Saturday after previous shots in the 2023 Oakleigh Plate at Sandown on Shooting For Gold (11th place) and the Tatt's Tiara on Electric Girl (16th) at Eagle Farm in the same year.
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His proud parents Nicola and legendary former jockey Jeff will make a rare appearance at the racetrack on Saturday to watch their sons ride on Stradbroke day.
'Even if he comes he normally just stays in the car,' Jaden said of his dad, who won 15 Group 1s around the world before retiring in 2019.
'He doesn't like socialising with a lot of people. He'd rather stick to himself and chill in the car.'
Apprentice jockey Jaden Lloyd winning aboard Call Da Vinci at Ipswich last month. Picture' Trackside Photography
Jaden has settled into life on the Gold Coast after riding stints in Singapore and NSW, trying to land as many rides in the city as possible.
He's been plugging away at provincial tracks such as Beaudesert, Ipswich, Gatton, Warwick, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast.
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'I came back to Queensland knowing it was going to be very hard,' said Lloyd, who reckons Sunshine Coast is the best provincial track in the state.
'You've just got to try and find the right people to work for who are loyal. It's been hard trying to build those relationships but I'm slowly getting there.'
The Bevan Laming-trained Call Da Vinci will jump from barrier 14 against a quality field led by local chances Cool Archie ($3.40) and Grafterburners ($8).
The gelding beat Ciaron Maher's well-backed favourite Navy Pilot in the Sacred Elixir Handicap (1350m) at Ipswich last month before an impressive third in the Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
'I've done all the work on him, even before he raced I did his first jumpouts, and the Lamings (Bevan and son Richard) are very loyal,' Lloyd said.
'I was very confident in keeping the ride (for the JJ Atkins), even though I knew other jockeys would be trying to get on him.
'There's no pressure really, he's a bit of an outsider, although I think he should be shorter odds than what he is.
'I'm quietly confident that the horse has the ability to win the race if things go our way.
'He's going to put in 100 per cent because he's a very tenacious horse and hopefully he's good enough to win it.'
Originally published as Jaden Lloyd and brother Zac chasing Group 1 double dream on Stradbroke Handicap day
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