French jockey keen to cap golden season with Saturday city success

This season has already been twice as good, and more, than Pierre Boudvillain could have hoped for, after a dream ride on Music Time to third in the Golden Slipper with his first group 1 opportunity at age 37.

It has been part of a remarkable campaign for the Canberra-based Frenchman, who is set to claim the NSW premiership with a likely total close to double his haul of 74 in 2024-25, which was his first full season riding in Australia.

Boudvillain has 132 NSW winners, 18 clear of next best Tommy Berry, who is on holidays, with four weeks remaining in the season.

“I was not expecting that at the start of the season,” Boudvillain said.

“At the end of last season, I was hoping this season I would have as many winners, so I’m pretty happy with that.”

However, one goal for the season remains – a Saturday metropolitan winner. He had one midweek city success last season.

Gratz Vella-trained Music Time gave him a first stakes-level victory in the group 3 Black Opal Stakes at Canberra, which opened the door to the $5 million Slipper at Rosehill.

He combines with Vella again on Saturday at Rosehill, this time with Teylu ($14 TAB) in the sixth, an 1100m benchmark 78 handicap. He also rides Neeson ($8) for Danielle Seib in the Highway Handicap.

“I was hoping I could win a race in town, but I skipped that step to win a group 3, then to ride in a group 1, I would have never thought I would do that in my life,” said the well-travelled horseman, who started as a jumps jockey in his homeland.

“The Slipper was definitely the highlight of my season, but hopefully not my career. Hopefully, there’s a lot more to come.”

Boudvillain knows Teylu well and has won four times on the four-year-old, including two starts ago at Canberra. Last start, Teylu led from gate one under apprentice Coriah Keatings before finishing three-quarters of a length third to exciting prosect Ice Kool at Randwick over 1000m.

“It’s that quiet time of the year in the country so we have to take him to town and see if he measures up to the grade, but he proved he is,” Boudvillain said.

“He benefited from the claim from Coriah and a really good ride as well, so he has everything going for him. He jumps out of barrier one again, so I think he’s going to be just as competitive.

“I ride him in the mornings and he’s flying. I can’t fault him and if he can ever win a race in town, it’s now.

“He’s not a horse that likes to be ridden, so you can’t really dig him out to lead and you can’t restrain him either, so that dictates to be positive to lead.

“If the pace slackens in front and we restrain him, he can throw in the towel. He’s a free-flowing horse, so hopefully he jumps clean enough to just lead, have an easy time in front and show a good kick.”

Boudvillain also reunites with Neeson, which he won on at Canberra before the three-year-old was 13th in a Randwick Highway for Shaun Guymer.

“He’s a very tricky horse and doesn’t really help himself,” he said.

“He’s very hard to get along with. Shaun Guymer has done a lot of work with him and I think he got a little bit frustrated with him. He just pulls a lot, gets very strong and just doesn’t save much for the end.

“When he’s better than them, like when I won on him, it’s easy. He can jump, lead and put them away, but when he goes to Highway grade, he needs to hold it together.

“I would say the instructions will be to ride him more negative, get cover as soon as we can and try to switch him off.”