BOOM apprentice Tyler Schiller is eyeing off the possibility of riding in Victoria after requiring just 13 months to out-ride his country allowance.
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The Jerilderie-based jockey rode his 80th winner aboard Dream Runner at Canberra on Friday, a day after claiming a Young Cup he's always coveted at Wagga on Parliament.
His strike rate of 14 per cent, and 22 per cent for his last 50 rides, has the 21-year-old well placed to take the next step after he rides with his 1.5kg country allowance for the final time at Albury on Monday.
"I wanted to probably outride my claim within my apprenticeship (four years), but the more I got into it the more things stacked up with some winners," he said.
"Halfway through the first year I set the goal of trying to outride it in a year. That didn't happen, but I got close.
"I've had a chat to (master) Phil (Sweeney, trainer) and he's happy to wait until the border opens and send me to provincials in Victoria and metro, but at the moment we have to wait until the border opens," Schiller said.
"Kembla and Hawkesbury, they're the tracks where I can ride at without having to go in quarantine and I'd love to get a ride or two up there.
"Phil's been giving me all these opportunities and letting me head north a bit while the border's closed, which has helped me get more rides, and better rides.
"I think Phil just wants me to freelance a little bit, ride in Victoria or Sydney if I get opportunities in either place.
"I'm leaving it all up to Phil, he's been making some good decisions so far."
Schiller said his Young Cup win on Andrew Dale's impressive gelding Parliament was a childhood ambition realised.
"I tried to win it last year and couldn't quite get there, but this year I was on the right horse and it was pretty good to win it on the 100th running of it too," he said.
Schiller nominated Sweeney's Happy Lad in the Baxter Concrete Benchmark 58 Handicap as one of his best hopes at Albury.
The three-year-old won impressively first-up at Leeton, also saluted second-up last campaign and has landed barrier one.
"Happy Lad off the soft gate (is a big chance). He ran really well first up and if he gets a nice run he should get pretty close," Schiller said.
"Ivy's Belle also had a really nice maiden win (at Albury on May 15) and I think she can maybe go on with it in higher company now."
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