GROUP one-winning jockey Tyler Schiller has paid tribute to the late Phil Sweeney for helping him get to where he is today.
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Sweeney passed away on Saturday, aged 66, after a battle with cancer. In typical Sweeney fashion, he'd kept the battle mostly to himself and his passing caught the Southern District Racing Association (SDRA) community by shock.
Schiller spent three years under Sweeney at Jerilderie. He took Schiller from not being able to ride a horse into the leading SDRA apprentice, who has since gone on to great success in Sydney.
Schiller this week paid tribute to his old boss.
"He was massive for me. He was the one to get me riding," Schiller said.
"I was never a rider until I went to Phil's. It took three years of hard work between me and him and I definitely wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for Phil.
"He pretty much gave me everything. He gave me the horses to ride, he gave me the training that I needed and pretty much made a jockey out of me when I wasn't even a trackwork rider at that point.
"I wasn't even useful to sit on a horse, let alone ride work."
Schiller lived with Sweeney for the three years and said there is much more to the experienced horseman than his often gruff front.
"I lived with him for the three years I was there and he was like my father," he said.
"He's very easy, very laidback. To a front he tries to be very stubborn and stern but he's very laidback, especially when I got to be one-on-one with him for so long. He was just like any other person.
"I know in a group at the races he was always hard to get anything out of other than arrogance but behind closed doors you could talk to him about anything and he would just yap away.
"But if you looked silly with long hair or dressed up in something that you weren't supposed to be, he would definitely be the first one to tell you."
After a short career in the saddle, Sweeney worked for his brother Ken for more than 30 years before taking out his own trainer's licence in the mid 2000s.
Schiller said Sweeney's knowledge was what struck him most.
"He had a lot of knowledge," Schiller recalled.
"He wasn't a jockey for very long but he learnt from the best. He learnt a lot of knowledge from trainers he went through and jockeys that he trained up before me while he was under Ken Sweeney. He pretty much passed that onto me and hopefully I absorbed enough of it that I could make a difference to someone else one day."
Jerilderie Race Club also released a statement thanking Sweeney for his contribution.
"Phillip was a massive driving force for our little club and was always so generous with his time and work behind the scenes to keep our track in tip top shape as attested by all that attend every year," it read.
"For those lucky enough to be considered his friend they will know that you couldn't know someone more loyal or generous.
"We will miss him both within the club and personally."
Sweeney's funeral will be held in Jerilderie this Monday, May 1.
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IT'S full steam ahead to the $200,000 Wagga Town Plate for Front Page.
Corowa trainer Geoff Duryea was happy with the horse's exhibition gallop with Another One at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Sunday.
While Another One is being aimed at the 2000m of the Wagga Gold Cup, Front Page could hardly have been more impressive in the work and was kept under a stranglehold by jockey Billy Owen.
Duryea is now happy to push on towards Front Page defending his crown at the Wagga carnival but will wait and see what weight and barrier he comes up with.
Tyler Schiller is booked to ride Front Page.
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THE barrier draw for the Wagga Gold Cup will be carried out at Murrumbidgee Turf Club (MTC) next Tuesday.
Both the draws for the Wagga Town Plate and Wagga Gold Cup will be conducted upstairs in the member's lounge from 10am.
The racing community is welcome to attend with MTC offering complimentary coffee and bacon and egg rolls for those in attendance.
The club has also secured Lizzie Jelfs for Wagga Gold Cup day where she will offer insights and her pick of the yard for punters.
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COUNTRY Championships heat winner Bianco Vilano will head to the city on Saturday.
Bianco Vilano has the top weight of 63.5 kilograms for the TAB Highway Class Three Handicap (1400m).
Albury trainer Ron Stubbs has opted not to claim and has snared the services of James McDonald.
The four-year-old, who has not raced since his fourth placing in the $500,000 final, has drawn barrier three.
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WAGGA trainer-jockey Mick Travers hopes to be back in the saddle race day in about a month's time.
Travers dislocated his thumb at Leeton on Saturday and has so far avoided the need for surgery and was in Sydney visiting a specialist on Wednesday.
He was yet to learn the full extent of the injury but hopes to be back race-riding in four weeks time.
Travers hasn't let the injury slow him down, training a winner at Wagga on Sunday when Mathrin broke through in the Queen of the South Prelude.
Meantime, Wagga jockey Brett Fliedner has been cleared of serious injury after being kicked in the shin at Deniliquin on Tuesday.
Fliedner was discharged from hospital with soft tissue injuries only, having been cleared of any breaks or fractures.
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FORMER Wagga apprentice jockey Hannah Williams continues to kick goals at metropolitan level.
Williams enjoyed a winning double at Hawkesbury's stand-alone meeting last Saturday.
Williams guided Penthouse ($6.50) to victory in the Highway Handicap for Matt Dale, before landing the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m) with Delacour ($21), who is flying for Norm Gardner.
It was Williams' only two rides for the day with the double paying a nice 126-1.
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YOU would be hard pressed to find a more popular win over the past week than that of Retell at Leeton on Saturday.
A week after the passing of long-time Southern District jockey and trainer Peter Bloomfield, his son Shane prepared Retell ($5.00) to win at the Leeton non-TAB meeting.
At Leeton, jockey Josh Richards continued on his run of cup success, this time taking out the Leeton feature on the Andrew Dale-trained Garros ($5.00).
Richards has now claimed cups at Albury, Gundagai and Leeton in the past month.
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WAGGA trainer Doug Gorrel's trip across the border last Friday proved worthwhile.
Stable apprentice Anaelle Gangotena guided Brothers Of Antrim ($9.00) to victory in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m) at Wodonga.
Gangotena's three kilogram provincial claim came in handy as Brothers Of Antrim crossed from the outside gate and led from start to finish.
Gorrell will now send the five-year-old towards the Benchmark 74 Handicap (1200m) on Wagga Gold Cup day.
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SPEEDY mare Mouse Almighty kicked off her preparation with a fifth placing at Randwick on Monday.
Molly Bourke took Mouse Almighty ($26) straight to the front and she fought doggedly all the way up the straight to finish just under a length from the winner, Miss Jay Fox.
A metropolitan winner for trainer George Dimitropoulos last campaign, Mouse Almighty appears destined for another good preparation heading into the winter months where she appreciates the sting out of the track.
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WHAT'S ON
GALLOPS
Friday: Albury (TAB)
TROTS
Friday: Wagga (TAB)
Tuesday: Wagga (TAB)
DOGS
Friday: Wagga (TAB)
