The Egyptian building his pyramid of wins

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Clinton Taylor is hopeful his first runner of the new racing season will be successful when The Egyptian makes his Open Company debut at Rockhampton on Tuesday.

The Egyptian has found a new lease of life in Central Queensland since transferring stables at the start of the year and will be striving to win for the fifth time in nine starts for Taylor in the Open Handicap over 1050 metres.

The five-year-old completed a winning hat-trick in an 1100-metre Class 6 Plate at Rockhampton on June 30 before a last-start second to Princess Rules in a similar race at Mackay on July 24.

“I think he’s a terrific hope of winning again,” Taylor said.

“He’s had eight starts for me for four wins and four seconds and he’s a great chance to win again at his first Open Company start.”

The Egyptian will be ridden by apprentice hoop Alisha Ross (pictured), who was last season's country jockeys' premiership winner.

Taylor, 36, has only been training for less than three years and is one of the rising young stars coming through the Central Queensland training ranks.

A former jockey, beaten by weight, Taylor has 20 horses in work and is looking forward to the new racing season after finishing his second full season on a high.

Taylor trained 16 winners from his final 50 starters of last season including Bustedup at the Sunshine Coast on July 25.

“I’ve got 20 in work and another 19 unnamed two-year-olds getting ready,” Taylor said.

“I ride most of my horses track work and I think The Egyptian is a terrific bread and butter horse.

“He keeps raising the bar every start but he never wins by far and just does enough to win every time.”

Taylor was a successful jockey in his riding days and won a Roma Cup for Eagle Farm trainer Les Ross about 20 years ago.

“Like a lot or aspiring riders, I got too heavy but I had a fair bit of success,” he said.

“I ended up working as a foreman for Les after my riding days finished before I got out of racing and worked in Condamine for 11 years before the racing bug got me again.”

Taylor rates the Shane Sigvart-trained Chezblack as the main threat to The Egyptian on Tuesday afternoon. 

“The Egyptian will probably start pretty short odds and Chezblack looks the biggest danger,” he said.

“Chezblack will get back but he’ll be charging home late.”