IT was fitting that Tye Angland should win the first and final race at Hawkesbury’s last race meeting of the 2016-17 racing season on Sunday Sunday.
Angland did not even need to win at the final meeting to secure the premiership, such was his dominance this past 12 months.
Angland has secured himself in the top echelon of riders in a very competitive Sydney market of top jockeys.
Closest rivals Josh Parr (12 wins) and Brenton Avdulla (11) were absentees, but Angland made a ‘good thing’ of another title success by book-ending the program to boost his tally to 15.
He won the opening race, the Western Sydney Wanderers 2YO Maiden Handicap (1000m) on Godolphin debutant Marble, then put the icing on the premiership cake in the final event, the Nor-West Jets AFC Benchmark 70 Handicap (1800m), on $10 shot Manhattan Son.
Angland won the 2014-15 premiership at Hawkesbury with 18 wins, beating Avdulla (14).
The roles were reversed last year when Avdulla, currently engaged in an enthralling battle with Hugh Bowman for Sydney metropolitan riding honors, easily won the title with 23 wins to Angland’s 15.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott celebrated their first Hawkesbury premiership by winning Sunday’s Beards Of Hope Cup Class 1 Handicap (1300m) with favourite, Street Pursuit.
The Waterhouse-Bott partnership that won this year’s Group3 Livamol Hawkesbury Gold Cup, with Fabrizio, prepared 17 winners during the season, five more than Chris Waller.
Rachel King’s success on Street Pursuit took her to four Hawkesbury wins for the season – but it wasn’t enough to claim a premiership success.
Blaike McDougall, with five wins, held on to take the junior riding title from King, Jean Van Overmeire and Brock Ryan.
Hawkesbury trainer Jason Attard clinched his fifth victory of the season at home when he won the Sieders Truck Repairs Provincial & Country Maiden Handicap (1300m) with Seeking Affection.
It was also fitting for Angland to ride a double on a day where the club hosted the Beards of Hope, supporting Bears of Hope, a charity that supports those affected by infant loss and require pregnancy support.
The leading jockey was good enough to address a fundraising charity lunch of more than 200 people, speaking of his own personal experience with the loss of twins three years ago.
It was a brave effort to win the first race, rush up to lunch for the interview and compose himself again to take out the last race.