Jockey Liam Riordan lands perfect birthday gift at Flemington races

Liam Riordan marked his 28th birthday with a memorable win aboard Marble Nine in the Funky Farm Sprint (1100m) at Flemington, continuing a long-standing association with the Corstens stable.

Having begun his apprenticeship with Troy Corstens 11 years ago, Riordan’s connection to the stable added extra sentiment to Saturday’s success. Marble Nine, trained by Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin, is now likely to progress to the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m) on July 5.

Backed from $9 into $8, Marble Nine proved too strong, finishing 1-½ lengths in front of favourite Cleo Cat with Midwest third. The victory followed a win over 1200m earlier in the month.

“Liam is one of the hardest working kids out there,” said Troy Corstens. “He was apprenticed to us and I’ve got a real soft spot for him. He doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, but he’s going really well at the moment.

“It’s nice to give him a birthday present for yesterday and you wouldn’t take him off now, but in fairness, Hannah (Edgley) would have stayed on had it been a claiming race.

“She had done nothing wrong, but it wasn’t and it’s hard to justify putting a claimer on.”

The win mirrored the efforts of The Astrologist, who took out the same race in 2020 before going on to win the stakes race finale.

“We were a little worried about dropping him back to 1100 metres thinking the 1200 might be better for him,” Corstens noted.

“I said to the guys, it was either this or give him a trial, and I said we might as well go around for the prize money and see what we can do.”

Corstens added that Marble Nine is a more mature horse this season after competing against strong fields last year including Recommendation.

“He’s grown up now and has done a good job.”

Betting markets for the Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final are available now through the top Australian betting apps, where punters can also access specials and bonus offers.