'For lads struggling to get rides at home - get over here and have a go'

A whirlwind few weeks for Charlie Case has taken an exciting twist, with a ride of the week award in New Zealand after the British amateur landed a £30,000 chase less than a month after heading to the other side of the world in search of more opportunities.

Case, who has ridden two winners under rules in Britain, earned the award after guiding the Paul Nelson-trained Argyll to victory at Hastings, making virtually all in a three-mile open chase.

The opportunity to go to New Zealand arose for the 22-year-old son of Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Ben Case after a conversation between his father and fellow trainer Richard Bandey at the Goffs UK sales in Doncaster in May.

Bandey, having worked in New Zealand before, said the country’s jumps scene was short of riders and it was an opportunity that appealed to Case, fresh from completing a real estate degree at Oxford Brookes University.

Case said: “Dad mentioned it to me and I sent Paul [Nelson] an email, sorted out my visa and then moved over. I got here on the Wednesday evening, had one day riding out and then on the Saturday I had five rides.”

The amateur jockey could have been forgiven for taking some time to adapt to the differences in New Zealand, from the time zone to starting stalls for jumps races, but he got off the mark at only his second meeting when steering Leitrim Lad to victory in a maiden hurdle at Rotorua.

Case said: “The riders have all been pretty good to me and helped me out with light kit, showing me the courses and telling me a bit more about it. They’re such a good group of people. The racing in general is a pretty smooth operation."

Case is based with Nelson, who trains in partnership with Corrina McDougal and is top of the championship table. Case’s ride of the week on Argyll was a fitting first winner for his new boss.

He said: “The first horse I schooled was Argyll and the track in Hastings is Paul’s local one. He won all four jumps races on the card that day.”

Case, who has had three point-to-point winners this year but is without a ride under rules in Britain this season, reckons other jockeys in his position could find opportunities in New Zealand.

He said: “There are ten jump jockeys. For lads who are struggling to get rides at home, get over here and have a go at it. It’s a great experience.

“I didn’t think I was going to be getting many rides. I came with the hope I’d get maybe one a week, but I’ve been here for three meetings and had ten rides, with two winners and two seconds. I’ve been out of the first five only twice. You wouldn’t get an opportunity like this in England.

“If you'd told me three and a half weeks ago that I'd ride a prestige jumps winner over here, I would have laughed at you. You’ve got to take a risk at some point and luckily for me it seems to be working out well. There are better riders than me not getting opportunities who would definitely be able to do it.”

Case, who will stay in New Zealand until the end of the jumps season on October 2, was due back in action on Sunday with three rides at Hawera but the meeting was called off due to unsafe ground.

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