Pinn Cleared for Sydney Take Off

Jockey Wiremu Pinn had a scare on Tuesday at the Waipa trials, nearly jeopardizing his upcoming trip to Sydney, reports racingnews.co.nz. "One just flipped over in the barriers and crushed me a bit at the back of the gates," Pinn explained. "My x-rays and scans are clean, I’m just a little sore. Thankfully, nothing is broken." Despite the incident, Pinn is confident about riding later this week. "I’ll be alright to ride, just taking today off, but I’ll be back for the rest of the week," he said. The relief was palpable when doctors cleared him to compete this weekend, with Pinn set to ride Unusual Legacy in the Gr1 Metropolitan at Randwick. Trained by Chris Waller, Unusual Legacy is a top contender in the $750,000 race. Pinn has a history with Waller from his Melbourne stint last year. "Chris is a great trainer, and the horse looks like a strong chance," Pinn said. "If he makes the race, I think he’s going to be a big contender over 2400m." Pinn’s light weight was key to securing the ride. "Not many can ride at 50 kilos, so I’m lucky I walk light," he added. In addition to the Metropolitan, Pinn is lined up for a few other rides at the Sydney meeting on Saturday. "I’ve got about three rides," he said, looking forward to more opportunities across Australia this season.

Wiremu Pinn will ride in Sydney on Saturday (pic: Race Images)