Tye Angland has ruled out a return to Wagga for next week’s Ted Ryder Cup meeting with commitments in Sydney keeping the in-form jockey busy during the festive season.
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While enjoying a rare day out of the saddle on Thursday – and spending time with his two daughters when speaking with The Daily Advertiser – Angland said there won’t be time for a trip back home this Christmas.
“I’m pretty busy up here and I’ll be riding all through Christmas, unfortunately,” Angland said. “We’ve got to keep providing the entertainment for all the people who are having their holidays so it gets quite busy for us. There won’t be much time to sit down and relax.”
Coming off a brilliant spring, The Wantabadgery Wonder is in high demand.
His immediate engagements give an idea of the schedule he’s talking about: five rides at Canterbury coming up on Friday night; eight bookings at Royal Randwick on Saturday and another five at Hawkesbury on Sunday.
Angland enjoyed three Group One wins during the spring.
He claimed the Golden Rose on Trapeze Artist for Gerald Ryan, and partnered the David Payne-trained Ace High in the Spring Champion and the $1.5 million Victoria Derby at Flemington.
“With Ace High, we had a really good preparation and to be able to get two group one wins, and for one to be the VRC Derby, it’s definitely a highlight of my career,” he said.
“Most definitely it’s the best spring I’ve had, for sure.
“And probably the number of winners through to this time of the year is probably at its highest for me.
“So overall I’m very happy with where I’m at. But you need good support to do that, and I’ve had that this year.”
Angland has had 44 NSW wins this season; 23 at metropolitan meetings (where’s he’s fifth in the jockey premiership) and 21 at provincial and country meetings, including a double on Gold Cup day at Wagga back in May.
He’s also had another two wins interstate – the Derby and at Doomben last week where he was part of the jockey Origin series.
The 28-year-old isn’t aligned with one stable but says he’s happy with the flexibility of freelance and the support of leading trainers.
“Just be consistent,” he said is the key.
The goal for 2018 is for onwards and upwards.
“I’m always trying to work as hard as I can without burning myself out. If you do too much you can drive yourself mad and you’re not doing the best you can. I’ve got to be enjoying my riding and doing my best, and show that I can maintain that.”
