For a jockey chasing a maiden G1 win, it might seem strange that riding Magic Millions 2YO Classic hero Unit Five in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes isn’t the most exciting thing happening in Tom Stockdale’s life this week.
Unit Five is an $8 chance with Bet365 and, to some including the jockey himself, appears to be one of the horses to beat in Victoria’s premier juvenile race.
But more than Stockdale is a jockey, he is a family man.
He’s also a patient man.
Stockdale and his wife Lily, the daughter of late top jockey Peter Mertens, expected to be first-time parents by now but, a week after their baby was due, the young couple are still waiting.
Waiting, at least for something like this, isn’t a problem for the 26-year-old.
He feels like he’s waited all his life to become a father and the monumental change to his circumstances already seems to be having a positive effect.
“I think it (life) has already changed and it’ll change further,” Stockdale said.
“When we found out that Lily was pregnant and in the months leading up to now, it has changed my outlook on life and work.
“I’m dedicated and I make sure my processes for riding stay in check but as far as life more broadly and where work fits in to that, my outlook has definitely changed.
“If I have a bad day, I don’t stew on it and I can leave it at the track or in the car.
“I’m trying to be more in the moment and more present.
“Probably a couple of years ago, that stuff would probably come home with me and it would bother me a lot more.
“I’m a big family man and that will always be my number one priority.”
Assuming everything goes smoothly and their baby arrives in the coming days, Stockdale’s second priority this week will be the Diamond, in which he will renew acquaintances with Unit Five.
The two have formed quite the partnership and are undefeated in two starts, including a career-defining win in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast last month.
The son of Supido slipped under many punters’ guards that day and Stockdale is quite comfortable with the lack of scrutiny on the colt in the lead up to Saturday’s $2 million race.
Part of that comfort is derived from his recent experiences on Unit Five, including a gallop on Monday and a trial seven days earlier.
“He trialed last Monday and he trialed really well,” he said.
“In the trial I just wanted him to begin a bit better than he has been because if he can on raceday, it will give us more options with where he can sit in the run.
“So I got a light tail on him (in the barriers) in the jump out and it helped him really ping with them (other horses).
“You couldn’t have asked him to travel back (from the Gold Coast) any better than what he did and I think he’s as good or even better than what he was heading into the Millions.
“He sort of flew under the radar for the Millions and nobody really wanted to talk about him, which didn’t faze me at all.
“People haven’t given him much air time and it’s probably a similar story with the Diamond.
“All he’s done is win.
“I’m still very confident with him.”
Stockdale is the first to acknowledge that Unit Five’s trainer Ciaron Maher has helped put him on the map.
While his career tally of wins has rapidly advanced towards 500 in the last 18 months, it’s been several prime time opportunities from Maher that have put him on the precipice of breaking into Melbourne’s elite jockey ranks.
Opportunities, like that on Unit Five and aboard last year’s Supernova hero Warnie, are one thing but doing enough work behind the scenes to be given those opportunities are a different story.
For Stockdale, the story had a few chapters before the laconic trainer threw him a bone.
“It took me ages to get my foot in the door,” he said.
“The jockey ranks are so competitive and even Ciaron’s ranks to ride trackwork, he’s got the best riders in the state riding for him.
“In the last year of my apprenticeship I kept pestering Reece Murphy for some trackwork and it took me a while to get in there.
“Even then, it was a long while before I got a race ride but I kept sticking at it.
“Winning the Country Premiership helped with building my profile in Ciaron’s stable and I was able to get some good opportunities throughout that year to help put some more wins on the board to help me win that Premiership.
“Ciaron supplied me with my first Group 1 ride and then multiple other feature races after that.
“I’ve said it before, those rides in those Group 1 races really gave me the experience in those high-pressure races and even though they weren’t in the market, you can’t buy that sort of experience.
“To have those experiences before finding Unit Five, it has set me up to know what I’m dealing with and what to expect.”
Beyond Saturday, the late summer and early autumn will be about balancing a growing demand for his services in the saddle with a thirst to learn the ropes of fatherhood and enjoy the first weeks with his young family.
Stockdale is hoping there will be more Group 1 opportunities and he’ll be ready to capitalise if they come.
He’ll also be ready to step up if Maher sees him as a suitable replacement for go-to jockey Ethan Brown when he hits Hong Kong on a short-term contract later this season.
To those that know them both, including Maher, the parallels between Brown and Stockdale are obvious and it’s something the latter takes as a compliment.
“It (Ethan going to HK) possibly does (present me with more opportunities),” he said.
“I think Ethan is going around winter time and I will take a week off in winter just to refresh and, especially with the new baby, I want to make sure I spend some quality time with the family as well.
“But sure, it could open opportunities at midweek meetings and on Saturdays in the winter time and it would be great if it did.
“Ethan has solidified himself in Ciaron’s stable and rightly so because he’s a tremendous rider and certainly one that I look up to and watch closely.”
