Eighteen-year-old Blake Spriggs wants to be NSW's champion apprentice next season. If recent riding form is a guide, he'll give it a mighty shake.

The son of the well-known rider Dale Spriggs has ridden close to 70 winners this season, including 18 in town and has relished linking up with the Gai Waterhouse juggernaut. One of the perks has been having the opportunity to ride More Joyous in some of her trackwork.

Spriggs rode Whitehousewhispers to victory at Warwick Farm this week and on recent Saturdays has been successful on Superior Instinct and Atomic Force.

"I've been fortunate with the rides I'm getting and I hope it continues," Spriggs said.

Spriggs has only ever wanted to be a jockey, however it's interesting that his parents, including his jockey dad, tried to steer him into other sports.

Spriggs is booked to ride the Waterhouse two-year-old Crossbow at Rosehill on Saturday and believes the unraced son of Redoute's Choice is going tremendously at the moment. He's ridden the gelding in two trial wins. With Spriggs' 3kg claim, Crossbow has a 6.5kg pull in the weights on topweight Agister.

Spriggs is also on Next The Universe for Kris Lees and again teams up with Atomic Force in the 2GB Handicap on Saturday.

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IT'S ONLY July but it's hard not to get excited about the upcoming Spring Racing Carnival. The Sir John Monash Stakes can often give you a scent of the spectacular we're always in store for every spring.

Subject to the track not being too yielding, Blue Diamond winner Reward for Effort will make a return to the course after an absence of more than 17 months in the $100,000 event. Luke Nolen partners him again.

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A RATHER distinctive meeting is on at Moe tomorrow. Look in the jockeys' room and all you'll find is jumps riders. There's three events over the jumps and the four flat races are all for the heavyweight riders. It's not often that jockeys like Brett Scott or Paul Hamblin can go to a meeting in the hope of riding six winners.

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BROOME is well known as one of Australia's most spectacular holiday destinations but it will get nationwide acclaim for a different reason next month.

Broome's Cup day meeting will be broadcast live on Sky Racing, taking the Broome Cup Carnival to a national audience. The main event of the pearl coast racing scene is the Cup. It's worth a neat $80,000 and run over 2200m.

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THE Irish Oaks claims top billing for global thoroughbred purists this week. Run at the famous Curragh, the event which traditionally attracts many of Europe's top fillies, will be run at 12.40am eastern Australian time Monday.

Epsom Oaks winner Snow Fairy was a late entry for trainer Ed Dunlop who is desperate that the rain stays away.

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In harness, De Lovely is the $1.60 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds for the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight.