Rising Star Series winner Teodore Nugent spent lengthy injury stint watching losing replays to help improve his riding
Bingeing replays of losing rides helped Rising Star apprentice jockey Teodore Nugent turn four weeks in a moon boot into an exercise in personal development.
Nugent, who on Saturday at Flemington will be crowned winner of the RMBL Rising Stars Series, saw benefit in hindsight to boost the chances of him replicating a breakout autumn in the spring.
Prior to a fractured fibula, the result of a fall on the way to the barriers at Cranbourne on May 21, the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner was successful in nine of his past 50 city rides.
“It has been a good time to reassess, I’ve watched, you could say, the last 100 replays,” Nugent said.
“I don’t think there’s any harsher critic than myself.
“It was a good time to go over the race rides and critique my style.
Winning rides were scrutinised also, not for any self-indulgent purposes.
“Seeing what I could’ve done differently,” Nugent said.
“Hindsight is a great thing … it was good to go over them and build a bit of a base.”
The setback could not have come at a worse time for the 23-year-old, who had enjoyed four-straight weekend city meetings with a winner from April 25 to mid-May.
He has watched almost every race since on television, be it live or replay.
“I never tuned out, the racing channel is always on at my house,” Nugent, who has been back riding a week, said.
This commitment level has helped Nugent become the state’s most consistent apprentice the past three seasons.
Nugent has been runner-up in the coveted Rising Stars series, which Black Caviar part-owner Colin Madden has sponsored since 2018, before going one better this season.
Points are awarded to the top five placings in the series on a 12-6-4-2-1 basis.
With three wins and a raft of placings Nugent has 65 points and an insurmountable lead in the series despite missing probably “half” of the 22 heats so far.
Teodore Nugent spent the four weeks in a moon boot critiquing his rides on replay. Picture: AAPSource:AAP
Past winners include Melbourne Cup winner Jye McNeil, dual Caulfield Cup winner Nick Hall, Blake Shinn, Craig Newitt and Brenton Avdulla.
After missing out twice, Nugent really targeted the series this season with the help of his jockey manager Ash Beer.
Winning it without the benefit of a weight claim has, in a way, made up for previous defeats.
“I’ve got to give a big credit to Ash, she’s always pinpointed these races and tried to chase a good ride a long way out,” Nugent said.
“It’s a great concept and great for apprentice riders … we sit next to each other in the rooms but when it’s apprentices only (in a race) it makes it that little bit more competitive to come out on top.”
Despite regular absences this season – injury and suspensions – Nugent is 15th in the Melbourne premiership with 18 city winners from 143 rides.
His record includes 32 minor placings for a 35 per cent top-three strike rate.
Will Price is the leading apprentice this season, with 46 metro winners (fourth overall) in 390 starts.
Racing Victoria Apprentice Jockey coach Alf Matthews hailed Nugent‘s consistency and motivation.
“It’s a reward, particularly for Teo, for consistency because we have never had anybody that’s been as consistent as him,” multiple Group 1 winning former jockey Matthews said.
“(Rising Stars Series) identifies somebody that really does want to search, study and really analyse with their manager to find the perfect horse suited under these circumstances.
“It’s not easy … we get adjusting distances and an array of different trainers.
“If he wins the final, it really puts the icing on the cake.”
Nugent will ride $4.40 TAB second favourite Galgani in the Rising Stars Final for trainer Nikki Burke.
He has four other rides on the card also.
Originally published asRising jockey binged on losing replays during recovery
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