Layt Loving Life in the North

Relocating to Townsville has been life-changing for former NSW jockey Adrian Layt and his young family.

The popular hoop continued a smooth transition to the local riding ranks with a classy front-running ride to win on tough veteran Bold Kingston for leading trainer Georgie Holt at Cluden yesterday.

For Layt his latest win was a “nice kick along” after shifting to Townsville late last year to make a better life for his five-year-old son Liam who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy -  a condition that causes weakness and wasting of the muscles.

He said the Layt family unit – wife Carolina, Liam and two other sons Rocco, 9, and Charlie 3 – were loving their new life.

“I love the heat – it’s great for our son Liam which is the whole point of being here. He’s gone from sitting at home and not doing much, to tearing around and being a devil,” Layt said.

“His mobility was slowing going down in the cold and wet when we were in Sydney but the change up here is incredible. I’ve never seen a kid go from one extreme to the other. He goes flat out.

“All three of the boys have settled in well and my wife has got a good job and fallen on her feet.

“It’s meant I’ve had to take a pay cut but this is all about family and lifestyle. Down there I was hardly home, but up here I do the school run most days and spend a lot more time with Carolina and the kids.

“I was in Brisbane last week and two minutes in the concrete jungle and I wanted to get out.”

While life may be more laid back in the tropical north, Layt has been busy building new contacts with trainers from Cairns to Rockhampton and even took rides in Toowoomba last Saturday for trainer Lindsay Hatch.

He says the southern-based jockeys come north every week, and he sees no reason not to take them on at their own game going in the other direction.

“The travel doesn’t really bother me, the way flights are. The southern boys are flying up every week. I can live in the beautiful part of the world and go down there.

“I rode in Toowoomba last week for Lyndsay and he has the stable here too so I want to get an association going with him.

“I said to my manager I wouldn’t mind going to Toowoomba on a Saturday night and the Sunny coast on a Sunday and fly back home on the Monday.

“It was nice to get a kick along today and ride a winner for Aidan and Georgie (Holt) who have been good. I had three rides for them today for a winner and a third.

“Bold Kingston is a tough bugger. Aidan said he can be a bit tardy, and if he is take a sit, but he came out two and a half in front on the bridle.”

Bold Kingston’s win in the C.U.B. Open Hcp (1300m) brought up the second leg of a winning double for the Holts who won earlier with the in-form Ciao Bicky in the Mitavite 0-65 Hcp (1609m).

Ciao Bicky is raced by leading Brisbane trainer Steven O’Dea, who started his career in Townsville and was Aidan Holt’s master when he was an apprentice.

“Steven doesn’t miss any of our runners. Even the non-TABs he’ll watch them and if we’ve got a question or a second opinion he’s the first person we go to. He’s a huge role model and big supporter of our stable,” Georgie Holt said.

“We’ve had a couple for him over the years, but it’s good to finally repay him with a few good wins.”

Holt is enjoying a stand-out year with 16 winners already this season and a six win lead in the Townsville premiership.

But the young trainer says the stable’s focus is on results rather than titles.

“What’s most important to us is that we make progress each year. This year we’re significantly ahead of where we were this time last year. We have a lot of new owners, new horses and we’re a lot more consistent,” Holt said.

“We’ve got 19 in work and we’re in a position where we’ve still got horses in the paddock. It’s nice and it’s working and makes it easier to get out of bed in the mornings.”

Meanwhile, exciting filly Redavni earned a trip to Brisbane after producing a whirlwind finish to win the Cluden Park QTIS Jewel Qualifier 3yo Plate (1200m)

The Janel Ryan-trained youngster was having just her third race start and stormed home from near last to win and claim a place in the $500,000 Channel 7 QTIS Jewel  (1200m) at Doomben on March 18.

See the racing calendar for upcoming race days.