3 minute read

Jeff Penza surged to the top of the NSW jockeys' premiership with a winning double at Queanbeyan yesterday, making the most of yet another lengthy journey into the country.

The 41-year-old does most of his best work at provincial tracks, but when duty calls away from the bigger cities he rarely passes up an opportunity to chase more success.

Tuesday's salutes aboard Spanish Shoes and God's Reward moved Penza a win clear of last year's NSW champion jockey Greg Ryan, and today's washed out Newcastle meeting should keep him in the lead until at least the weekend.

Penza's sheer volume of rides this season has helped him scale the heights of the NSW jockey table – Tuesday's book at Queanbeyan moved him to 583 starts for the season. That's an average of almost three rides every day since August 1.

But Penza admits his focus this season has been on breaking into the Sydney riding ranks, and he's sacrificed several provincial engagements in preference of metropolitan rides.

“I've been heading to town a lot on a Saturday and I've been missing out on a lot of provincial winners but you've got to chase those better rides in town, try and lift your profile up there a bit,” Penza said.

“It's very tough to get into I've always been about making a good living out of riding. I'm not going to go to town for one or two rides if I can go to Kembla and have six or seven rides.

“But the opportunity's come up where I've got to ride a couple of good horses in town like this week.

“I've had a good run this season. The few meetings I have gone to town I have rode the odd winner now and then, and I've had a fair bit of luck during the week.

“If I can keep turning those [city winners] over every couple of weeks it'll be good.”

Penza said his body had been the key to succeeding this season, and admitted he was functioning just as well as when he broke on to the scene as an apprentice 25 years ago.

“I wouldn't even know the difference from when I started to now,” Penza said.

“I'm the type of bloke who can ride two weeks straight and it's not going to worry me.

“On my day off I jump on a wakeboard or jump on my motorbike or something. I don't actually feel the pinch at all.

“Even yesterday I got up early and went to Randwick to gallop a horse, I came home and had a sweat and drove to Queanbeyan.

“There and back was over seven hours in the car and honestly I wouldn't have known I'd done it. It's not a problem for me.”

Queanbeyan isn't the furthest Penza is willing to travel.

Earlier this month he went to the Sapphire Coast for Bega Cup day – a return trip which costs more than 10 hours in the car.

Twice last month he drove down to Moruya which is a similar distance from his home town in Sydney.

On Sunday he drove to Orange, although he doesn't head out west much any more.

“I don't do a lot of western districts, I went to Orange for the first time the other day in a long time,” Penza said.

“I do a bit up north like Scone and that. I seem to be riding a fair bit so I don't drive to Wagga or anything like that, there's no need for it.

“I've been able to cut it back a fair bit.”

Penza is hopeful of starting in four races at Warwick Farm on Saturday.