Veteran jockey Jeff Lloyd has claimed a new Queensland record in the saddle after notching up his 156th race win of the season on Wednesday.
The 56-year-old has now overtaken Chris Munce, who set the previous mark of 155 in the 2011-12 season, for riding the most Queensland winners in a single season.
More amazingly, there is still over two months left and there are no signs of slowing down, meaning Lloyd could be looking to set a near impenetrable new mark at seasons end.
He racked up three wins at Ipswich on Wednesday, taking Silky Brown and outside favourite Eight Below to victory earlier in the day.
He capped it off with the record-breaking ride atop favourite Prontezza in the ninth race of the day, claiming the 1200 metre sprint for the new benchmark.
The Ipswich success also marked his 121st metropolitan win of the season, a record he also took from Munce this year who previously held the mark at 103 for Queensland metro winners.
If that wasn’t enough to take away from him, Lloyd now sits equal with Munce’s record of 158 wins on all Australian tracks in a season by a Queensland rider.
The record-breaking ride on Prontezza continued his stellar partnership with trainer Toby Edmonds.
Lloyd and Edmonds have combined for an astonishing 56 winners this season alone, with the later leaving his praise short and sweet after the Wednesday meet.
“What more can I say about Jeff? He is the ultimate professional,” he said.
With a few records already in the bag, there is still no shortage of motivation for the veteran as he finds himself in a two-horse race for the crown of Australia’s leading jockey.
Lloyd’s mark of 156 wins this season has him clear above Dean Yendall with 128 winners, however, it still leaves him in second place.
Perth rider William Pike sits at the top of the jockey pile in Australia at the moment with 158 wins this season so far.
With Pike and Lloyd are the only two riders with a winning strike rate above 20 percent as they sit just two rides a part and clear of the rest of the field.
Lloyd has made 720 starts for a total of 316 place finishes, including his new winnings mark, while Pike has 335 place finishes that includes his leading mark of wins from 637 starts.
With so long still to run in the season, it’s hard to tell where this one could go between the two leading jockeys.
Lloyd continues to defy his age and has the chance to blow the new Queensland riding records out of the park.
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