Star jockey William Pike has admitted his move from Western Australia to NSW has been tough, but is looking forward to a big few weeks during Sydney's autumn carnival.
Pike made the decision to move across the country earlier this year, with WA racing bringing in a vaccine mandate for their riders.
The 35-year-old told Big Sports Breakfast on Friday that the competition for rides is far tougher in Sydney than Perth, but he's enjoying the new challenge.
“It’s very competitive obviously, it’s a tough market here," he said.
"I’ve been enjoying it quite well, especially now that the sun has sort of poked through the clouds a little bit.
“I suppose back home in the west, everything is still towards one or two or three days, and our hopes and dreams are all tied up in those days.
"Whereas here, there’s more big races in one day than we have for the year.
"Everyone seems pretty well switched on, they are on the hunt – our races are built up on a couple of big meetings, whereas here they keep rolling and the boys keep operating.
“Coming from WA where I’ve been well-planted, I have those connections and associations, whereas here, I’m trying to build them and get things rolling.
"It is a bit tricky, you’re always on the chase and trying to be the next step ahead, it’s hard to do sometimes."
He's also had to adjust to the different tracks in NSW, and Pike admits he is still trying to figure out the best way to approach things.
“I haven’t exactly got a bag of winners behind me here yet, so I’m talking out of school I guess," he said.
"I think as long as you are doing the basics right on any track, that will put you in good stead.
"I suppose every track definitely has its oddities about it and things that work for you.
"There are tracks at home where certain things I like to do on those tracks.
"I’m trying to figure it out what works and what doesn’t work for me here. I’m still in that process."
He was able to jump in the saddle on the two-year-old before the Slipper, and is confident it can run a good race after a solid Blue Diamond Stakes performance.
“I actually got to jump on his back this morning and give him a real light canter around," Pike said.
"He gave me a really nice feel – he was a good mover and that was good to have a sit on him before tomorrow.
"I’m really looking forward to it – barrier is tricky, but it’s probably one of those races where a bad barrier isn’t always as bad as it looks.
"I thought his run was really good in the Blue Diamond, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“I would love to get any one on the board would be nice – especially if I can get one of these big ones."
