Jockey Tilley ends city duck on Spurcraft

Much-travelled jockey Les Tilley believes he couldn’t have picked a better horse on who to win his first Saturday metropolitan race than Spurcraft who scored at Doomben.

Spurcraft ($1.50) made it six wins from nine starts when he led all of the way to beat Malvern Estate ($10) by a neck in the Xplore Resources Hcp (1110m).

The gelding is one of those stories that only horse racing can produce.

He is trained by Charlotte White, who trains a few horses as a hobby away from her full-time job as deputy head of the Clifton State School on the Darling Downs.

White cut her teeth in racing when she rode trackwork for Warwick Farm trainer Paul Cave in the 1970s.

“I have always been around horses and it is a thrill to get one as good as this,” she said.

“I got this horse when my track work rider Aaron Cooper to break in and he suggested the horse stay with me.”

White was quick to praise Tilley who has ridden 270 winners at meetings across Queensland and the northern rivers.

“Les rides Spurcraft better each time he gets on him. He rated him perfectly today,” she said.

Tilley, who won the Townsville Guineas on Barbados Storm on Thursday, said Spurcraft was obviously now his favourite horse.

“That’s my first Saturday metropolitan winner and I can’t think of a better horse to do it on,” he said.

Spurcraft will probably have one more Brisbane start before heading to Sydney.

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