Rawiller ready to rumble in Perth

Written by Georgie Dennis

A lack of opportunities in town and a phone call from dual-state trainer Lindsey Smith saw multiple Group 1-winning jockey Brad Rawiller pack his bags and make a quick decision to relocate over to the other side of Australia.

Moving from one side of Australia to the other, especially when two weeks of hotel quarantine is involved, is a big decision to make but the 42-year-old said it’s not something he spent a lot of time dwelling on.

“To be honest I made the decision within three days,” Rawiller told TDN AusNZ. “I had considered it a couple of months before and floated the idea but realistically I thought it might be a little bit tough so I shut the idea down.

“And then I got a call from Lindsey Smith and what he put forward was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. It felt like it was meant to be to get over here and give it a shot.”

Perth is not a foreign land to Rawiller though, with the jockey having ridden three Group 1 winners and completing a number of small stints in Australia’s west and he believes that will hold him in good stead as he embarks on this new venture.

“Every time I’ve come to Perth, I’ve always had some success and good support,” he said. “A couple of times, I’ve not just come over for one day, I’ve had little stints here and I’ve ridden winners at Pinjarra, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie.”

A perfect fit

A lack of opportunities to ride in the city over the last 12 months is what prompted the jockey to relocate from his home state of Victoria and with a number of states to choose from to continue his career, Rawiller said WA seemed like a perfect fit for him and his family.

“The reason for the shift is that I think it’s a good fit for the family if it can work lifestyle-wise,” he said.

“As well back at home in Victoria, it’s been really tough for the last six months through the COVID-19 period and while it’s been well dealt with, it’s been hard work and I just felt like it was a good time to start fresh.

“The goal is to ride in the city. I’m absolutely about riding winners but if it was to be that I was just riding in the country, then it’s not going to be worthwhile.

“But I feel like I can make an impact on city racing and I’ll be riding everywhere but at the same time, the city is the goal for me.”

For the time being, Rawiller said he is hoping to build an association with leading trainer Smith but once he is free from quarantine on Friday, he is hopeful to get to know the industry and find out where he fits in.

“Absolutely I’d like to create an association with Lindsey,” Rawiller said.

“He said I’m not necessarily required to go in and ride work every day so I’m thinking at this stage, I’m still in quarantine so I want to get out and actually see the lay of the land.

“I’m thinking that I’d like to be working through Ascot, but that’s something that’s going to be decided once I know more about where I’ll fit.”

With the Perth Racing Carnival ramping up from Saturday, Rawiller has already booked himself one key ride and that is aboard fellow Victorian raider Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}), who will run in the G1 Railway S. before tackling the G1 Kington Town S. two weeks later.

Despite his age, Rawiller believes the 10-year-old Matthew Williams-trained gelding can make his presence felt during his time in Perth and is in good shape to go one better in this year’s grand final race - the Kingston Town - after finishing second in it last year.

“You’ve certainly got to respect the WA form, certainly over the last couple of years they’ve really stood up and held their own when they’ve come to Victoria,” the jockey said.

“I’m not expecting any easy task but at the same time he is a class horse and he’s got form on the board and I’m sure he’s positioned to run well on Saturday, but certainly his Grand Final and the race he has come for is the weight for age Kingston Town the following fortnight.

“As much as he’s a good horse and he’ll make his presence felt, the fortnight later is much more his target.”