Morris back on home soil building towards 2000 wins

One of New South Wales’ leading reinsmen, Robbie Morris is back in town after spending time in Queensland during the Sunshine State’s winter harness racing carnival.

With the attention now turning to Sydney as momentum builds towards the world’s richest race the $2.1m TAB Eureka on September 2, it is refreshing to see the state’s regular metropolitan drivers back on home soil.

And Morris is wasting no time upon his return as he has six drives at tonight’s Penrith meeting, followed by five at Newcastle on Friday and a further five at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Saturday night.

Morris has driven almost 2,000 winners, from which he has secured nine Group 1’s and amassed more than $16 million in earnings for connections.

The champion reinsman has been blessed with barrier draws tonight at Penrith, with four of his drives scoring barrier one.

His best chance appears to be the well-bred two-year-old Memphis In May (Race 7) from the Lizzy Heath stable, a filly that made her debut last week at Newcastle when she ran home well to finish second.

“She is a nice enough filly that will no doubt have benefitted from that first-up experience at Newcastle,” said Morris.

“If we can get away cleanly enough from gate one tonight, I feel she can go close to winning.”

It is just as busy a time for Morris’ protégé and good mate Josh Gallagher, who has a stack of drives over the next three days.

The talented young reinsman landed a winning treble at Menangle on Tuesday afternoon and will be aiming to continue his great run of success.

Gallagher capitalised on his opportunities during the past few months while his fellow leading drivers headed north for the winter, taking plenty of drives for prominent stables and notching up a raft of winners.

Gallagher holds a strong hand in each of the last five races tonight, the pacers he is driving all being firm in TAB fixed odds markets.

He will drive Aquila Costello for Troy Williams in the final event, a three-year-old who is coming off a last start second at Penrith.

Bred to be a square-gaiter, the gelding is still a maiden after 10 race starts, but after drawing gate four in a race for non-winners over the 1720m trip, he gets his chance to break through.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Michael Dumesny, for HRNSW