City rider in striking form

OPINION: Excluding inital capital Excluding jumps jockeys, Invercargill's Alysha Tempelman is the leading strike rate rider in New Zealand, writes Jamie Searle in this week's My Opinion.

A study of the jockeys' national premiership table yesterday confirmed Tempelman led with a strike rate of 5.40.

Chasing hard are James McDonald (5.46) and Opie Bosson (5.62).

Tempelman's employers, the Dennis brothers, train at Woodlands and Ascot Park.

The rider embellished her season's statistics when winning on The Choice at Cromwell on Sunday. The Choice, trained by the brothers, recorded Tempelman's fifth win for the season.

Former Southlander Reon Tither finished seventh in the Australasian Young Drivers' Championship in New South Wales.

The last of the seven races in the championship was held at Menangle on Sunday.

Tither, Dexter Dunn and Roydon Downey represented New Zealand.

Early last month Tither began working for West Australian trainer John Graham, of Bunbury. Tither was back in the state yesterday, but was unplaced with his only drive at Gloucester Park.

Final standings in the Australasian Young Drivers' Championship:

Gareth Rattray (Tasmania)..................... 77

Dexter Dunn (New Zealand).....................56

Roydon Downey (New Zealand).................52

Caleb Lewis (Victoria)..............................50

Peter McMullen ((Queensland)..................47

Matthew Smith (South Australia)................45

Reon Tither (New Zealand)........................33

Danielle Hill (South Australia)....................29

Cameron Fitzpatrick (New South Wales)......26

Ryan Bell (West Australia).........................24

» Jamie Searle is the Southland Times racing editor and has had a long involvement in the racing industry. He is a member of New Zealand Trotting's hall of fame.

- © Fairfax NZ News