Matt McGillivray continues comeback at Dalby

By Glenn Davis

Group 1-winning jockey Matt McGillivray will take another step in his return to race riding when he heads to Dalby for one ride on Tuesday.

McGillivray was on top of the world after winning the Queensland Oaks on Winning Ways in 2019, before being disqualified for eight months in 2022.

McGillivray - who has ridden 18 Stakes winners and almost 600 career wins - rode track work for a number of trainers at Beaudesert before recently moving to Toowoomba.

The 31-year-old gained his licence last month to return to race riding and made his comeback finishing third on the Wayne Baker-trained Bonnie Ev in a Benchmark race at Toowoomba on March 25.

McGillivray knows he has a lot of fences to mend but is determined to fight back and resurrect his riding career.

“I’m really in a happy place now and things are going well,” McGillivray said.

“I moved to Toowoomba recently and I’m riding a lot of track work for the major trainers here.

“I’ll be riding around 57kgs for a few weeks, but I hope to get it down to 54 kgs in about two months.

“Hopefully things will pick up when I get my fitness right.”

McGillivray has one ride at Dalby in the Benchmark 62 Handicap over 1400 metres aboard the Olivia Cairns-trained Roadhouse.

The six-year-old has won four times in North Queensland but has struggled in all four appearances in the State’s South East.

Roadhouse was beaten just over one length when seventh in a Benchmark race at Eagle Farm in February before failing to fire a shot at his next two starts at Doomben and Dalby.

He then tailed off last in a field of five, almost five lengths behind winner Smoke Diamond in a 1666-metre Benchmark race at Ipswich on March 17.

“I rode him a few times in trackwork at Beaudesert and he’s a big strong type,” McGillivray said.

“I’m not sure about the track at Dalby, but she should race well.”

Dalby is currently in the Heavy range.