Singapore-based Michael Rodd will again represent NSW in the annual State of Origin jockeys series in Brisbane.
To be held over five heats on December 13/14 at Doomben and Eagle Farm, the series will be a boost for other feature races on those days because some of Australasia’s top riders will be available for mounts.
The series will be run in conjunction with two Listed races at Doomben on the Friday and three black-type races at Eagle Farm on the Saturday.
The Eagle Farm meeting also features the new Gateway race which carries an exemption from the ballot for next year’s Group One Stradbroke Handicap.
Rodd was apprenticed to Bryan Guy at the Gold Coast and won the Brisbane premiership.
He then moved to Victoria and won the 2007 Melbourne Cup on Efficient.
Rodd is now based in Singapore, but is a regular visitor to Queensland and has competed in several State of Origin series.
Although doing his apprenticeship in Queensland he was born in NSW and will be joined by Kathy O’Hara in the Blues team.
“It’s a great series to be involved in and it adds something different and exciting to the two days of racing,” Rodd said.
There is a sad note to this year’s series as Tye Angland, who was severely injured in a fall in Hong Kong a year ago, was a mainstay of previous NSW teams.
Angland has been confined to a wheelchair since the fall.
The other teams are Queensland (Jim Byrne, Matt McGillivray), Tasmania (Craig Newitt, Brendon McCoull), Victoria (Luke Nolen, Brett Prebble) South Australia (Dwayne Dunn, Jason Holder) and New Zealand (Michael Dee, Samantha Collett)