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By Ray Hickson

It’s not lost on Jace McMurray the task he has set himself by trying to muscle into a strong Sydney apprentice group but he says the timing is right to see what impact he can make.

Buoyed by a couple of early winners, including a city success at the Scone stand alone meeting, the 18-year-old is on the verge of reaching the 100 wins milestone, just 14 months after his debut, and is growing in confidence.

McMurray, who is apprenticed to Adam Campton at the Gold Coast, is around a month into his three month loan with the Michael Freedman stable and says the next few weeks will be important if he’s going to make the move a permanent one.

“There was always going to be quality riders in Sydney but it’s definitely a competitive group of apprentices,’’ McMurray said.

“It’s good competition, and I just want to be better.

“I feel like I’m settling in pretty good now, I’ve got a few winners under my belt and it’d be good to get a few more. Reaching 100, especially so early on, will be a good achievement.”

That Scone win, his 98th, was on Fiorsum Fred, who subsequently was narrowly beaten in the Gunnedah Cup, in the TAB Highway and McMurray said he’s already felt the effects of that exposure.

It was a timely back up two days after his first winner since the move, for Freedman, with Carnegie Hill scoring at Hawkesbury.

“It helped a lot, I’ve picked up some nice rides for this week and next week. It was a big day at Scone so it was good to get a winner there,’’ he said.

“I wanted to try to get some winners on the board early and get my name out there.”

While many expected Sydney’s apprentice ranks to weaken after the graduation of the likes of Dylan Gibbons, Tyler Schiller and two-time champion Zac Lloyd in recent years it’s not been the case.

The emergence of Braith Nock, current premiership leader, and Anna Roper to Molly Bourke, Zac Wadick and Ben Osmond as our leading junior riders means McMurray, even with his 3kg, has a job to win over trainers and garner .

But, as he only turns 19 in July, time is on his side and he said Freedman’s has been, and will be, instrumental if he’s going to build the momentum he needs.

“Over the coming weeks, looking at the rides I have, he’s definitely thrown me a few more bones and some nice horses too,’’ McMurray said.

“Hopefully I can get that momentum rolling in the next month or so and go on with it.

“I didn’t know when the right time was to come down, I spoke to Corey Brown and this time (of year) is the Queensland carnival and coming into winter and apprentices get a good go so we thought I’d come down and give it a shot and see where my riding takes me.

“I have thought about what would keep me here, and it would obviously be the . I want to be consistently getting rides and winners.”

McMurray’s first ride for Freedman was on three-year-old Inside Man and he partners that gelding again at Canterbury on Wednesday in the Vandeek At Arrowfield Handicap (1250m).

He’s one of three rides for his boss at the midweek card, he has other rides for Greg Hickman and the O’Shea/Charlton stable, and he said Inside Man did more than enough in his close fourth at Kembla back on May 6 to suggest he has upside.

“He was first-up, he’s been working very well at home and I think going into Wednesday he’s shaping up nicely,’’ he said.

“After I rode him last start I thought he may get over that little bit more.”

Just Feelin’ Lucky will be the shortest price of McMurray’s Canterbury rides and he’s looking forward to partnering a filly who has a handy reputation around the stable.

She was run down by Drift Net when runner-up as favourite at Warwick Farm second-up from a spell.

“She’s definitely got a bit of ability, I haven’t done too much work on her but she’s a nice horse,’’ he said.

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