Collett ready to help as ‘little family’ mourns Izzy Neale

As one of the most experienced members of female jockeys’ rooms in Sydney and its surrounds, Alysha Collett tries to help out the growing number of apprentices whenever she can.

It is support the 32-year-old group 1-winner feels was missing in the far sparser rooms when she was coming through the ranks.

And it is support needed more than ever this week after the heartbreaking death of Scone apprentice Izzy Neale.

“It’s a little family in that jockeys’ room, and it’s honestly just devastating,” said Collett, who rides $5.50 favourite Sweynesday in the $1 million The Hunter on Saturday at Newcastle.

“It’s really unfair what’s happened, but the girls have all stuck together, which is really nice to see.

“Izzy was just a lovely girl. It’s heartbreaking.

“Mikayla [Weir] and Maddy [Owen] and others, they were good friends with her. I don’t know what they would be going through right now. It’s brutal, and it’s a bit of reality, for what things can happen, for the young apprentices as well. That’s probably the tough thing to swallow also.”

Neale’s family announced the 22-year-old’s death on Tuesday night, following a fall at Warren on Sunday when her mount Marnoo broke down on the home turn with a catastrophic injury.

It was the first race fall death of a jockey in NSW since Darren Jones in 2017 and has triggered an outpouring of grief and tributes for Neale, who had been riding professionally for less than three years.

The tragedy has rocked the racing community, especially the huge group of female apprentices in NSW. Collett rides regularly at all levels and often makes herself available as an adviser in stewards inquiries, or mentor outside of them, for her younger colleagues.

“I want them to do well because when I was younger I never really had that help, so if I can help them in any way possible, I try to do it,” Collett said.

“If they ever ask what did I think of that ride, or what could I have done different, we are all open for opinions and help, all us seniors, like Rachel [King] as well. It’s nice we are able to do that.”

Collett heads to Newcastle’s annual standalone on Saturday with the main job of riding winners, and she has strong chances in the day’s richest two races.

She has picked up the ride on Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Sweynesday in the Hunter. The six-year-old came from last to finish a close second to Ndola in the GH Mumm Rising Fast Stakes (1200m) two weeks ago at Flemington in what was his second start since coming from the Roger James and Robert Wellwood stable. He has drawn well in gate six for the 16-strong 1300m quality and Collett hoped to capitalise.

“It’s a really open market, but we’ve drawn a good barrier,” she said.

“His run the other day was brilliant in Melbourne.

“I’ve ridden it once early doors, but he seems pretty straightforward.

“From the bad barrier in nine the other day over 1200m, they were a little bit sharp, so they looked to ride him where he was happy, but from the better barrier we might try to utilise that. We’ll have to talk about that.

“There’s a good amount of pace in the race, which is nice. There’s a bit of pressure, which I think will fall into his lap nicely.”

Collett also rides Todd Pollard-trained Zuleika ($6.50) in the $300,000 Beauford (2300m). She was aboard when the mare was third to Anthracite at Randwick over 1600m, before she was eighth last Saturday in the Matriarch (2000m) at Flemington.

“I rode her two starts back and she went brilliant,” she said.

“I’m excited to get back on her, over a 2300 set up, too. To me, if there was another 200m in that Randwick run, she would have just kept picking up and going, so I thought for a mile run, it was super.

“She’s got great tactical speed and she’s a great horse to ride because she goes forward and when you ask her to come back, she comes back and relaxes.”

Maher getting Fawkner Park on track

Declan Maher would do well to one-up his big brother, Ciaron, given the run the champion trainer is on.

Tempted’s Everest win and a history-making Melbourne Cup trifecta have led a remarkable spring for the Victorian.

Declan, though, can claim bragging rights, of sorts, if he can get veteran stayer Fawkner Park to fire in the $300,000 Beauford (2300m) on Saturday at Newcastle.

Fawkner Park, now eight, raced at a high level for the Annabel and Rob Archibald stable, winning the $1.2 million Q22 and placing three times in group 1s, before going to Ciaron Maher.

After one poor run and two trials, the trainer convinced connections to send Fawkner Park to his brother’s new Gold Coast stable, which he established in April last year.

“Ciaron just wasn’t completely happy with him and since I’d moved to Queensland, he’d met Kurt Gasky, my physio, and he had worked on a few Ciaron had sent up here,” Declan said.

“He just thought he needed that regular maintenance.”

Fawkner Park, a $10 chance in the Beauford, is unplaced in seven starts since the move, but Declan feels he can challenge on Saturday after finishing four and a half lengths away over 1815m last week at Eagle Farm.

“When I got him, he ran really well first up in the winter and then he got a little splint,” he said.

“It muddled up that preparation a bit, so we reset.

“I thought he ran really well first up, then I elected to leave him in Sydney and it was probably the wrong call. He requires a bit of maintenance with his body. Kurt does a lot with him to keep him free and moving at his best, so I got him home after that and he ran really well last Saturday.

“It was more like an 1800m trial. They went slow in front and ran home quick. For where he was, and the weight he had, it was a big ask, but he bounced through the run and has been really fresh all week and I’ve been really keen to get him out to that trip on Saturday.

“He’s got a bit of an enigma about him, that’s why I’ve had a few gears changes on him. An old gelding, you’ve got to keep him thinking a bit.

“But his last 600 the other day was one of his best in a dozen starts. If he let go like he can, he’s right in it.”

Declan, who has a team of 20, worked closely with Ciaron for many years before going out on his own, but the brothers still help each other out. Fawkner Park travelled to Ciaron’s Bobs Farm property on Thursday.

“I’m still working indirectly with my brother,” he said.

“It’s good, and it’s also handy if we need to chew the fat over a few things. He’s a handy bloke to have a conversation with.”

He hopes to take Fawkner Park to the Christmas Cup at Randwick on December 12, if he runs well on Saturday.