Shane Ellis — the ‘big day’ jockey
BY OBSERVER RACING WRITER
JOCKEY Shane Ellis has without much fanfare developed into one of our best jockeys. The ‘Canter Man’ as he is known to racing fans has earned the reputation of being the go-to rider especially on the ‘big’ racedays.
This was firmly established on Super Day last Saturday at the Park when he rode four winners including St Cecelia in the Sprint Championship and Typewriter in the Superstakes.
Ellis is also one who is not afraid to dabble in the world of fashion, constantly changing the colour of his hair to suit a particular raceday. His golden hair colour came around the time he rode Willie Goldsmith to victory in the 2,000 Guineas and it was noticeable that he had red coloured hair on Superstakes Day probably to highlight the fact that Red Stripe through its brand product TALAWAH had successfully returned to race sponsorship.
“I am always happy to please those who support me in the stands. They, the fans, are the most important part of racing and I always try to please them and most of them love when I dye my hair to suit the occasion,” the ‘Canter Man’ said.
As to his remarkable run of riding four winners of Super Day, Ellis expressed his happiness while being grateful for the opportunity given to him by the trainers and owners.
“Of course I am pleased. To ride four winners including St Cecelia in the Sprint and Typewriter in the Superstakes was something very special for me. This however, would not have been possible with the trust given to me by the trainers and owners of the horses I rode to victory,” Ellis said.
The former champion jockey was particularly happy to have been associated with the outstanding mare St Cecelia.
“There is little doubt in my mind that St Cecelia is one of the best if not the best horses I have ever been associated with. She is an outstanding horse, and it was with some amount of sadness for me after winning the Sprint as it was the last time she was racing. Horses like St Cecelia do not come about every day, they are rare, and so I just give thanks to have been associated with her and her trainer Spencer Chung for such a long time. I certainly wish her well and hope she produces horses like herself as a broodmare,” Ellis said.
