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Jason Collett hasn’t been a regular rider of Bjorn Baker’s sprinter Prime Candidate but when they have combined it’s been with great success.
Spread over four and a half years, starting with the seven-year-old's debut win, Jason Collett has partnered the gelding four times for three wins and a second and Saturday's Listed $150,000 The Agency Carrington Stakes (1400m) at Randwick will be the first time he's been on board in consecutive starts.
After an all the way win in the Listed Christmas Classic (1200m) two weeks ago, Collett is quietly confident Prime Candidate is well placed to run out a strong 1400m.
"The 1400m is a small question mark but if we get comfortable lead there's no reason why he can't see it out strongly,'' Collett said.
"I don't think he has to lead to win but we'll just adopt that usual racing pattern of his to be up there. If there's a mad leader we'll just follow them.
"He mapped to get an easy lead last time and he probably copped a bit more pressure than I thought. A couple of riders tried to make it interesting but he had enough in the tank."
Prime Candidate, $8 with TAB on Friday, has raced beyond 1200m eight times for a win at 1250m and a narrow win at 1400m, beating Purple Sector in October 2020, plus a couple of minor placings.
Earlier in the season he recorded stakes placings behind the likes of Big Parade and Quantico before stepping up in trip without success, but Collett said he's better placed for the 1400m than he was in the late spring/early summer.
"In those runs he never looked to travel, in The Hunter he went a bit quick and at Randwick (in the December Handicap) he led by four or five lengths,'' he said.
"He had a few excuses but he's coming off hopefully a confidence boosting win and we try to replicate that."
Collett, who sits second in the Sydney Jockeys Premiership with 35 wins, partners Jungle Book in the Midway Handicap (1800m) and said the six-year-old is heading in the right direction after his third-up placing at Warwick Farm.
Jungle Book won up to 2000m prior to joining Clare Cunningham and another good performance will likely see him tried at that sort of trip again.
"He's come back nicely, he's improved each run,'' Collett said.
"We decided to go up to 1800m on Saturday and then hopefully up further. But he's found a nice race, barrier's good, it looks good for him."
Among his other Randwick rides is the Chris Waller-trained Toomuchtobear, $2.15 favourite in the Precise Air Handicap (2000m), and is one from one on the gelding.
Toomuchtobear jumped straight from 1500m to the 2000m to win for Collett at Kembla Grange in September and faces a similar rise after finishing second to Four Valour second-up at Kensington on New Year's Day.
"That first-up win was very good and even his second-up run was good,'' he said.
"I'm not too worried about 2000m, he has a nice barrier, he's pretty versatile and he looks a good chance."
Meanwhile, Collett partnered unbeaten two-year-old Sejardan in a trial at Warwick Farm on Thursday and while the colt finished fourth in the 792m heat he gave the thumbs up for the gallop.
Sejardan is the $9 equal second favourite for the $5m Longines Golden Slipper and $3 favourite for his more immediate goal of the $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m) run on February 5.
"He felt good under me, he was left a bit flat footed when they sprinted but worked to the line well,'' Collett said.
"The ground was a bit loose and he wasn't as comfortable on it but he got through it late. He jumped well which I was most happy about."
