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By Ray Hickson

Tyler Schiller is banking on being granted an extension to be able to defend his champion apprentice title but either way he’s set himself a goal of achieving 50 city winners this season.

Apprentice Tyler Schiller (Pic: Bradley Photos)

And Godolphin have handed Schiller the reins and an opportunity to take a step towards that goal on arguably the highest profile runner at Rosehill on Saturday - stakes placed three-year-old Spacewalk who has his first run as a gelding in the Kia Ora Captivant Handicap (1100m).

Schiller won’t know until next month whether his application to extend his apprenticeship beyond April 6, for the rest of the season, is successful and he concedes he can’t emulate Robbie Dolan and defend his title if it isn’t.

With 33 metro winners already he’s sitting second to James McDonald on the jockeys premierships, and only 12 shy of the 45 that saw him win the 2021/22 crown, that has him two wins clear of the suspended Zac Lloyd and seven ahead of Dylan Gibbons in the apprentices race.

“If I can keep the momentum up and do my best I’d love to get 50 winners for the season, it‘d be a good achievement I think,’’ Schiller said.

“Zac and Dylan are both great riders, they have huge support, and if I could hold on for a second season it’d be unreal. I’ve just got to keep my head down and work harder.”

Spacewalk, $2.80 favourite with TAB on Thursday, is the headliner among the 24-year-old’s 10 rides at Rosehill and he’s excited to be pulling on the Godolphin blue in three of those races on Saturday.

The three-year-old has raced in stakes company in all but one of his starts, his maiden win, and was gelded after he ran a close second to Buenos Noches in a Listed race at Flemington.

“I’m very grateful to have three rides for them,’’ Schiller said.

“He’s one of the better horses I’ve been able to sit on. He’s been placed in stakes company and has definitely got loads of ability.

“I’ve only had a handful of rides and rode a winner for them at Warwick Farm (Roussillon) in December.

“To get these opportunities are big for me, I know all the main jockeys are up in Queensland but to be next on the list is pretty surreal.”

James McDonald piloted Spacewalk to his barrier trial win at Warwick Farm and Schiller said it looked like easy work.

He is wary that Spacewalk is a three-year-old taking on some fit older horses but hopes class, and the ‘gear change’, gets him through.

“He’s drawn a good gate, it’s not a massive field and there’s enough speed for him to be able to pop in behind them,’’ he said.

“He’s going to have to be good first-up to beat those in-form, tough, horses.

“I’ll be guided by what James Cummings tells me, and Darren Beadman. He looks straightforward, it’s just whether he’s more genuine as a gelding and if he is it might help him a bit.”

Spacewalk wins a Warwick Farm trial on January 3

Among his other rides is a horse Schiller has plenty of time for, and is keen to atone on, in the shape of Ramones who will be out to back up an impressive maiden win in the Precise Air Handicap (1300m).

Schiller rode the Joe Pride-trained gelding first-up at Wyong where as a $1.80 favourite he was expected to win but a wide gate foiled his chances on that occasion.

A bit over two weeks later Chad Schofield steered him to an all the way win at Randwick on Boxing Day and while Ramones has drawn wide again Schiller knows he has the early speed to offset it.

“He got stuck with a wide barrier first-up over a short distance,’’ he said.

“Joe and I thought he would be better at 1200m, 1300m, and beyond and it showed second-up when he got to 1200m and got to lead on his ear he was pretty strong.

“I’m expecting the same. He’s a pretty smart horse, he’ll probably make easy work of the bad gate.”

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