By Mary Hackshaw
SEYMOUR apprentice Tom Spillane reached a milestone in his riding career at the Seymour meeting on the May 27, scoring his first career win on $41 outsider Swift Hit.
Spillane’s career as a jockey has been unconventional, having never been aboard a horse with the 26-year-old being a qualified accountant.
It was his close friendship with jockey Lachie King that led to a career change to that of apprentice jockey. Trips to the races with King sparked a fascination with horse racing and being a natural lightweight, a riding career beckoned.
Spillane had his first race ride in January this year aboard the Ron Hockley trained Some Eclipse at Kilmore. The win was an all-Seymour affair with Spillane being apprenticed to Seymour trainer Stephen Brown.
The Seymour meeting also produced a first win for the Lee and Shannon Hope trained Think I’m Irish, winning at just her fourth start with in form jockey Cory Parish aboard.
Winning over a 1300 metre trip, the filly’s future would appear to involve racing over staying distances, being by multiple Cox Plate winning sire So You Think (High Chapparel) and with the Zabeel mare Kind Return her second dam.
Kind Return was a group one and two placed over staying trips and is a half sister to top New Zealand two-year-old Kindacross.
The Hopes have had good success with horses bred on the High Chapparel-Zabeel cross with the group one winner Fenway and more recently with the promising Scillato.
