Cory Parish out to build on dream spring

Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Cory Parish is looking to build on his deeds of the spring.

After a spring of firsts for Cory Parish, the Caulfield Cup-winning jockey is determined to continue his progression and prove himself even more in the competitive Melbourne racing scene.

Parish shot to prominence last month when he guided outsider Boom Time to an upset win in the $3 million Caulfield Cup.

It was Parish’s first Group One win and came only weeks after a Group One minor placing on Snitzson in the Epsom Handicap in Sydney.

Winning the Caulfield Cup led to Parish riding Boom Time in his first Melbourne Cup and last Sunday he experienced the thrill of riding on the international stage when he partnered the horse in the Japan Cup in front of a huge crowd.

“This time last year if someone said this was going to be your next season, you wouldn’t imagine it,” Parish said.

“It’s pretty cool.”

There was a moment in Tokyo the day after the Japan Cup, in which Boom Time finished 12th, when the jockey soaked in the journey he had been on.

“Just walking down the streets with my wife I was just looking out and it was like ‘wow, this just happened’,” Parish said.

Parish was back riding in Melbourne on Wednesday at Sandown and has one ride at Moonee Valley on Friday night and two at Sandown on Saturday.

All three are for Boom Time’s trainers David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig for whom Parish gets the bulk of his opportunities.

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Ten of his 12 wins this season and 34 of his 46 wins last season have been for the stable.

“I’ve gone up to that level now where I’ve got to work even harder again to be able to stay there,” Parish said.

“I’ve got to keep my head down and keep working as hard as I can and hopefully I can get more opportunities and build up even more again.

“That’s sort of what my next goal is now.

“I’m not aiming for anything in particular, I just want to work hard and just keep improving myself.

“Just show everyone that it’s not just a fluke that this has happened, that I can go on and get more success.

“And that’s what I’ve got to do now.”

He said the Japan Cup, won by champion Australian jockey Hugh Bowman on Japanese horse Cheval Grand, was “amazing” and said Boom Time certainly didn’t disgrace himself.

“You’ve really got to live it to realise what it’s actually like,” he said.

“It was pretty amazing.”