With a top-three finish in the Melbourne jockeys’ premiership and the apprentices’ title already wrapped up, Ethan Brown is within reach of another milestone at the season-ending city meeting.
Brown, who is indentured to Mick Kent at Cranbourne, has 48 city wins for the season and hopes he can reach a half-century given he has a strong book of six rides at Caulfield on Saturday.
“I was just talking to Mick this week and said ‘if I can get to 50 I’ll be very happy’,” Brown said.
“Looking back I think, ‘wow’.
“I’ve exceeded my expectations but I’ve got the right support. I’ve got the right people around me.
“Even when I was in sight of the premiership lead, I thought ‘wow’.
“I just wanted to hold top three and I did that. I’m very satisfied.”
A flurry of winners in late June and July has assured Craig Williams his seventh Melbourne premiership with 63 wins while Damian Lane, who will ride in Adelaide on Saturday, will finish second, six behind.
Brown will finish third and has also achieved his main goal from the start of the season which was to win the junior title.
He is 19 wins ahead of nearest rival Ben Allen.
“I had a very quiet season last season,” Brown said.
“You would have noticed towards the end of last season I rode a few city winners at Sandown and it probably set me up perfectly.
“I’ve been really well-managed by my boss, and my manager Phillip Roost.”
Five of Brown’s six rides on Saturday are at single figure odds including three favourites.
He starts the day in race two, the Pamela Hutterer Handicap, on the Kent-trained Miss Pandanus who was on the second line of betting at $4.80 on Thursday.
Mantastic ($2.60), Just Hifalutin ($3.30) and Mount Kilcoy ($2.20) are all early favourites in their respective races while the apprentice is also booked to ride last-start winner Greyworm ($6.50) and Shoreham ($16) on the nine-race card.
“It’s probably my best Saturday book of rides I’ve had for a while,” Brown said.