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By Ray Hickson

A learning curve is what UK jockey Harry Davies wanted to go on when he ventured to Sydney for a summer riding stint and that’s exactly what he’s experiencing.

Jockey Harry Davies (Pic: Grant Guy)

The 20-year-old is yet to get on the board in Australia but, buoyed by solid support from the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald stable, he’s confident that breakthrough isn’t far away after some recent close calls.

Four of Davies’ six rides at Wyong on Saturday are for the Neasham team and he said he’s grateful to have the backing of a big stable.

“I’m learning a good bit which is what I came out here for and I think a winner is coming,’’ Davies said.

“I’ve hit the crossbar a couple of times, it’s definitely very frustrating in all honesty.

“You want the winners to come but you can’t force it. The most important thing is to look at the horses you’re riding, the characteristics, the race set up and give yourself your best chance.

“Annabel has put me on some nice horses and as soon as it clicks it’ll happen.

“Sometimes winners are like London buses, you don’t see them for ages then all of a sudden you have three or four in quick succession.”

Davies has won multiple stakes races back home and his biggest success so far came at Group 2 level on Arabian Dusk in the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in July last year.

Like fellow UK rider Billy Loughnane, Davies will wrap up his visit in early February and head back home and he said he’s already wiser for the experience so far and warmed by how welcome he’s been made in the Warwick Farm stable.

“They’ve really taken me in and given me some amazing chances,” he said.

“They understand it is very different and I’m still learning but they’ve given me some nice rides and I’m so thankful for that. There were no guarantees when I came over.

“You need that bit of trust from someone so hopefully I can pay them back soon enough with a nice winner.”

Claim The Crown has mixed it with the promising Saltcoats at his past two starts and Davies said the absence of that horse and another step up in distance are in his favour in the De Bortoli Wines Handicap (2100m).

The gelding, $10 with TAB on Thursday, ran a closing fourth behind Saltcoats over 1800m on December 14 then closed the margin slightly when chasing him home up to 2000m two weeks later and Davies feels, a bit like himself, he has the hoof on the till.

“He’s a very effective horse over the right trip,” he said.

“We stepped him up after the first time I rode him and he ran an absolute blinder just to be beaten by a horse of Chris Waller’s who looks to be on the improve.

“He always runs his race, he’s very consistent and tries hard, all he needs is a good gallop and he’ll be very competitive.

“Because he tries so hard you know he’s going to run his race. I think you can trust the horse.”

The market says Anavinci, as a $6.50 chance in the NBN News Handicap (1200m), is Davies’ best winning chance at Wyong as the mare has her second run from a two year absence.

It was two years to the day following her Gosford Guineas win of 2022 when she was beaten under a length by Left Field at Randwick on December 28 and Davies said that’s a good platform to improve on going to Wyong.

Harry Davies runs second on Claim The Crown at Randwick on December 28

“I was very encouraged by her run, I thought she ran great,’’ he said.

“She travelled real sweet and she picked up then that last 50m she got a bit tired. We know she will have come on from that run and if she has taken a step in the right direction she can be competitive.”

Harry Davies on Kujenga (race 1): “She travelled strongly (in the trial) and was a little bit green in the straight but was always staying on. I’d be interested to see how she can go, I’m sure she can be up on the speed which being at Wyong will probably help.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Wyong meeting