Global Weekly Review: Jockeys ride a super-highway to riches

A phenomenon of modern-day international racing is the ease with which the major players can travel the globe from one big race meeting to the next.
 
It means that for some -- jockeys in particular -- there is no end to the season, and opportunities are more plentiful than ever.
 
It also effectively makes the pool of top international jockeys smaller. For any rider with ambition, it is essential to join this elite, who are regularly participating in the world's biggest races.
 
Take former British champion Ryan Moore, for example. He has recently been riding in Japan, but on Saturday, he flew to Melbourne to take a ride in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield. He finished third on the Hayes-Dabernig-trained Formality.
 
Moore then headed back to his base in the UK, where he is booked to ride at a small meeting at Lingfield Park, before embarking on more international travel, taking in Meydan's Super Saturday meeting on 4th March.
 
For Australian Hugh Bowman, it was exactly the opposite. He was at Randwick, Sydney, on Saturday -- he rode champion mare Winx to her 15th consecutive win -- and then jumped on a plane for Hong Kong, where he partnered the exciting Werther to victory in the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup.
 
For his part in both those important wins, Bowman will pick up a healthy slice of the US$1m total win prizemoney.
 
Sydney-based Tommy Berry is another, who made the dash from Sydney to Hong Kong at the weekend.
 
Jockeys have always travelled extensively to cash in on their talents in the saddle. That has always been expected. Fifty years ago, India was the place to make a fortune, but these days it is the Far East.
 
It seems that a super highway leading to Hong Kong for their important fixtures has been established.
 
The John Moore-trained Werther is Hong Kong's reigning Horse Of The Year. He missed the International Raceday last December because of injury but appears back to his best.
 
Bowman can expect many more journeys on the road to riches.