Old ties key to Schweida two-state assault

Shogun Sun will be part of a strong two-state assault for Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida.

Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida has called on two long-standing associations with jockeys as he chases a two-state feature race double.

Schweida has booked Christian Reith to ride Shogun Sun in the Group Two Run To the Rose (1200m) at Rosehill and Ric McMahon for Outraged in the Open Handicap (2040m), the main race at Doomben.

Reith rode Shogun Sun when he stormed home to win at Randwick last month while apprentice Jag Guthmann-Chester was aboard the gelding when a last-start second at the Gold Coast.

Schweida had always planned to book Reith for Shogun Sun in the Run To the Rose and then the Group One Golden Rose on September 23.

“Chris and I have been friends for a long time and he rode a stack of winners for me in Brisbane before he went to Sydney,” Schweida said.

“I was genuinely happy I could give him a winner at Randwick and hopefully we can win some stakes races together this month.”

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Schweida said Shogun Sun had done well since his Gold Coast third but he realised it was big task on Saturday.

“We drew barrier 10 which is no help. It puts you back a few lengths from where you would like to be in the run and the Sydney horses really run home hard the last 600 metres,”Schweida said.

“But we can’t do much about it and Saturday’s race will show us where we sit in the pecking order.”

McMahon gets a chance to put his name back up in lights as a city rider on Outraged who he has won three races on including last year’s Townsville Cup.

He was a regular rider for Schweida and they combined for many wins including eight with the former top sprinter Better Than Ready who is now at stud.

However, McMahon has struggled to re-establish himself as a city rider after coming back from a lengthy suspension last year and mainly rides at the provincial tracks on Saturdays.

“Ric has been back riding work for me and he knows Outraged. He deserves a chance,” Schweida said.