Michael McNab winning on Turn The Ace, who he also rides at Whanganui on Saturday. Photo / Supplied
Michael McNab remembers the last time he levelled up to tearaway leader Warren Kennedy in the jockey’s premiership.
It was the first day of 2024 and after trailing by double digits in the premiership, McNab went on a golden run through late December and drew level with Kennedy.
“Then Warren came out and won those seven races at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day and I was driving home thinking ‘what the hell?’,” laughs McNab.
He can afford to laugh because after the gap between the two superstar jockeys got as big as 19 during the season, it is back to four (114-110) after McNab rode a treble at Cambridge on Wednesday.
So the two-jockey race for the premiership is now very much alive, the best indication of how alive ahead being that Kennedy was $1.05 to win the title with the TAB six weeks ago, now the pair are $1.70 for Kennedy and $2 for McNab.
It has got to the stage where every meeting matters and both riders are heading to Riccarton today then Whanganui tomorrow.
While there is no real monetary value in winning the jockey’s premiership, Kennedy made it clear months ago he wants the New Zealand title to add to the two he has won back home in South Africa.
McNab seemed relaxed about defending the title he has won the last two years but now he can smell a threepeat he is fired up.
“I never really thought I couldn’t catch him but I know what a great rider he is and I know how hard it can be to win this premiership,” says McNab.
“But I feel good. I’m healthy and I think I am riding well and getting good support.
“I know I can only do my best and whatever will be will be, but I am going to travel to meetings where I get support and give it my best shot.
“I’d love to win it again but I know Warren would too. I think we have a good battle now.”
McNab rode at the trials yesterday while Kennedy was winless at the Awapuni synthetic meeting so the defending champ had more time to do form for the weekend.
“I have nice books at both Riccarton and Whanganui,” says McNab.
“I reckon my first two rides at Riccarton are my best. Motionintime (R1, No.3) has been going well while I think Cinnamon Girl (R2, No.1) is my best.”
McNab likes the depth if his five-ride book at Whanganui tomorrow, suggesting last-start winner Eliud (R6, No.1) might be his top chance.
“We all know what Whanganui is like, the horses who handle it can win and those who don’t, can’t,” says McNab.
“But I have a good book including Turn The Ace (R7, No.5) in the big race.”
Kennedy admits McNab closing the gap has put the pressure on and unlike the last time he reacted with the Magnificent Seven at Pukekohe on New Year’s Day, fighting him off will be more difficult over winter.
“Some of the bigger stables I ride for don’t have many horses for the winter so it is getting harder to get good books,” Kennedy told the Herald.
“I am getting a lot of rides for Te Akau but winter is going to be harder than summer.”
Like McNab, Kennedy says the constant travel and riding-go-round can be tiring but he is holding up.
“I just came back from a suspension but I am feeling ready to go for the next two months.
“I have made this a priority but Michael isn’t making it easy on me.”
There is no point asking Kennedy what his best rides are at Riccarton today or Whanganui tomorrow because he reveals outside the biggest race days, he takes it one day at a time.
“I tend to do the form the night before each meeting so I can concentrate on one meeting at a time rather than confusing them.
“Often I ride at a meeting and either go home and do the form for the next day that night or sometimes I do it at the airport before my flight home.”
And just as in any race, both Kennedy and McNab have to be prepared for the unexpected.
“I was flying down to Palmerston North today but my plane out of Auckland got cancelled so I had to drive,” explained Kennedy on the way to Awapuni yesterday.
Nobody said it was going to be easy.
New Zealand jockey’s premiership
Wins this season (ends July 31):
114 – Warren Kennedy
110 – Michael McNab
92 – Joe Doyle and Craig Grylls
78 – Opie Bosson
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.