McDougall to ride through Kranji’s last days
The Kranji gates may be closing soon, but the jockeys’ room doors are still open to overseas visitors.
The latest to join the riding ranks is Australian jockey Blaike McDougall, who was granted a Singapore Turf Club licence to ride until the last day on Oct 5.
He is set to make his debut at the Sept 14 meeting.
The 30-year-old will not only be at his maiden Singapore visit, but also at his first overseas stint.
Riding is in his blood given that his father Ron was a jockey, but the New South Wales-born McDougall was a late bloomer.
He first sat on a horse only when he was 18, but quickly showed promise when he did.
After a stop-and-start apprenticeship, interrupted by years of wayward living, McDougall finally got his act together when he joined Sydney trainer John Thompson.
Moving away from the city lights to his wife Danielle’s Albury hometown was a winning move.
He was crowned champion country jockey twice in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons.
He was so prolific he finished second to Perth jockey Chris Parnham in the national jockeys’ premiership in 2021.
Shortly after, he moved to Melbourne where he won the biggest race of his career thus far, the 2021 Group 2 Caulfield Sprint aboard Oxley Road, who was prepared by trainer Peter Moody and raced by ex-Kranji trainer Stephen Gray and his syndication partners.
From his haul of 900 wins, five also came at Group 3 level, the latest being the Launceston Cup aboard the Symon Wilde-trained Aurora’s Symphony in 2023.
He finished 13th on the 2023/2024 Victoria jockeys’ premiership on 75 wins.
He goes to scale at 54kg.
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