3 minute read

A win on She's A Thief at Caulfield has moved jockey Daniel Stackhouse back to within two wins of Jye McNeil at the top of the Victorian statewide premiership.

Daniel Stackhouse has continued his successful season with an all-the-way win on She's A Thief at the final Melbourne metropolitan meeting of the 2019-20 campaign at Caulfield.

While Craig Williams has clinched his ninth Melbourne metropolitan jockeys' premiership, Stackhouse and Jye McNeil are in a battle for the Victorian statewide jockeys' premiership.

McNeil led Stackhouse by three wins heading into Saturday after a winning treble at Swan Hill on Friday but Stackhouse pegged one back to move to within two of the lead with six days of the season remaining.

Stackhouse's victory on the Michael Moroney-trained mare She's A Thief was his 135th winner for the season in Victoria, with 18 of those in metropolitan-grade races.

He is hoping to peg back the deficit to McNeil in the final week.

"I'm trying my best, I can tell you that much," Stackhouse said.

"It's a bit of fun and I'm very happy the way things are going."

She's A Thief ($6) notched her second Caulfield win from her past three starts this winter, leading all the way in Saturday's Neds Same Race Multi Handicap (1100m) to score by 2-1/4-lengths over Sword Of Mercy while Causeway Girl was another three-quarters of a length away third.

Stackhouse has ridden She's A Thief in her past four starts for two wins and two placings.

"I seem to get on with her pretty well," Stackhouse said.

"She just takes a bit of riding out of the machines but once she's up to her gears she's really happy and she travelled really well today. I felt like she was never going to get beaten from a long way out.

"Credit to Mike, he's kept her very happy and his horses are always very fit."