Apprentice Owen Turpin earned plaudits from some seasoned racing people when he produced two vastly different but equally skilful winning rides at Doomben on Saturday.Turpin's versatility was amply evident on both occasions when he outsmarted his rivals with cunning rides which were at the opposite ends of the spectrum.His dashing display to get Take The Plea home in the Schweppes Agrum Handicap (2100m) was a ride any senior jockey in the country would have been proud to have on their resume.Tur
Apprentice Owen Turpin earned plaudits from some seasoned racing people when he produced two vastly different but equally skilful winning rides at Doomben on Saturday.
Turpin's versatility was amply evident on both occasions when he outsmarted his rivals with cunning rides which were at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
His dashing display to get Take The Plea home in the Schweppes Agrum Handicap (2100m) was a ride any senior jockey in the country would have been proud to have on their resume.
Turpin is apprenticed to Frank Phillips on the Sunshine Coast and the 21-year-old has become a work in progress for Melbourne Cup and Golden Slipper-winning jockey Larry Olsen.
Olsen agreed to Phillips' request to assist with Turpin's development late last year and the likable young hoop has blossomed under the former champion jockey's guidance.
"That was as good a ride as you'll see. There isn't a senior jockey here today who could have ridden that horse any better than the kid did," Olsen said.
"I told him if he wants to be a good rider he has to have the basics in place and he's worked really hard on that.
"He's a very good listener but he's also a good thinker. Owen has made a lot of improvement in the past six months but I've got no doubt he can improve as much again in the next six months providing he keeps working hard."
Turpin caught his more experienced rivals napping when he allowed Take The Plea to dash around the field at the halfway mark and the bold move made it impossible for the backmarkers to reel him in.
Take The Plea ($3.30) responded well to Turpin's polished whip riding in the straight and the five-year-old stalled off Angelo Minny ($6) to win by three-quarters of a length with favourite Encosta Tszyu ($2.05) a length away third.
The 21-year-old then backed it up later on the program when he followed trainer Robert Bradshaw's instructions and drove veteran sprinter Babinda Half ($6) straight to the front and ran his rivals into the ground with an all-the-way-win in the $50,000 Nestle Handicap (1010m).
The remarkable Babinda Half took his record to 15 wins and 13 minor placings from 45 starts when he outsped his rivals to defeat the unlucky Simplest ($4.40) by 1-1/2 lengths with Sequallan ($6.50) a short half-head back in third.