The career trajectory of jockey Tyler Schiller highlights why his recent comments regarding Nepotism are taken seriously in the racing world, despite the colt’s poor performance in the Golden Rose.
Background: The Country Apprentice from Young
Schiller was born into a harness racing family, with his father and grandfather involved in the sport. His riding career began in the Riverina region, hailing from the town of Young. His path to the top was marked by resilience, as he was involved in a car accident early in his apprenticeship that saw doctors initially state he would never ride again due to his injuries. After months of intensive rehabilitation, he defied these odds, and his determination led him to become the Sydney Champion Apprentice Jockey in a recent season. This success has cemented his standing in the metropolitan riding ranks.
Success with the Colt: The Champagne Stakes
Schiller has ridden Nepotism in all of his starts, including the colt’s most significant win, the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m).
In that race, Schiller settled the colt last and produced an amazing last-to-first effort to win by a narrow margin. Schiller’s praise for the colt after that victory was effusive, describing the win as “incredible” and saying the colt has a “great will to win and a great tenacity.”
He later confirmed his high regard, stating simply, “I love Nepotism, he does everything right,” before the colt’s recent disappointing run in the Golden Rose.
Industry Standing: A High Regard for His Opinion
Schiller’s opinion is highly regarded in the industry, which is evident in his rapid ascent to the senior ranks and the quality of trainers supporting him. He is one of Sydney’s top-five jockeys, sitting high on the premiership table behind only elite riders, and holds multiple Group 1 victories, including The Galaxy, the Doncaster Mile, and the Champagne Stakes. He is acknowledged as being able to command rides in feature Group 1 races, which is a key sign of respect from major training operations like Team Hawkes, who provide him with plum rides like Nepotism.
The fact that he chose to be so candid and critical of Nepotism’s “ball of anger” performance in the Golden Rose demonstrates his genuine and trusted relationship with the colt and his connections, further underscoring the severity of the disappointing run.
– Tully Potts
The South West Slopes Times covers an area approximately the size of Fiji in country NSW. We look after a population of more than 50,000 people with our staff servicing 7 major towns and dozens of villages with our story telling footprint.
We offer weekly print editions at $3 a copy and we also offer digital subscriptions across 3 months $30, 6 months $60 and 12 months $120.
We are one of the last truly local independent family run newspaper businesses in the state.
Contact us today to find out how we can promote your business or organisation across our huge network by emailing ads@thetimes.net.au or by calling 0413 763 216.
If you have a news tip, lead or scoop for us please make contact as we love celebrating our communities. You can contribute articles via our South West Slopes Times website.