Light Infantry Man could see Jamie Spencer return for Caulfield clash
Ciaron Maher, the trainer, has issued an urgent request for UK-based jockey Jamie Spencer to handle Light Infantry Man during the Caulfield meeting.
Light Infantry Man has an entry in Saturday's Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m), prompting Maher to discuss ride options with Spencer for the gelding.
Spencer regularly partnered Light Infantry Man during their time in Britain and made the trip down under in 2022 to steer the gelding in the Golden Eagle held at Rosehill.
After that Golden Eagle appearance, Light Infantry Man headed back to the UK, with Spencer keeping up the partnership until the gelding's comeback for the 2023 King Charles III Stakes in Randwick.
Zac Purton took the reins then, and in Australia, Jason Collett, Craig Williams, Mark Zahra, John Allen, Blake Shinn, James McDonald, Chad Schofield, and Ethan Brown have all mounted the gelding.
James McDonald and Ethan Brown stand as the sole Australia-resident jockeys to taste success on Light Infantry Man, Brown achieving Group 1 wins twice, one being last year's Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.
With suspensions keeping Brown and Zahra out and McDonald tied up in Sydney for the weekend, Maher noted his outreach to Spencer.
"Ethan Brown's suspended, Mark Zahra's suspended, so I was talking to Jamie Spencer," Maher said.
"I've still got to confirm that, but he knows the horse quite well.
"He rode the horse out here in the Golden Eagle and in a lot of Group 1 races in Europe, so it would be good if he came out, but we just need to firm that up.
"He is a quirky horse, and Ethan obviously gets on very well with him.
"He came through his first-up run in great order. He's feeling great and doing everything right.
"It looks a nice race for him at weight-for-age over the 1800 metres."
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