Adam Wedge will bide his time before he bids to nose past Sean Bowen and become the leading all-time jockey at Ffos Las Racecourse.
The Vale of Glamorgan-based Wedge was neck-and-neck with Bowen in the race to overtake the legendary AP McCoy, who led the way at the Carmarthenshire track with 69 winners at the venue before his retirement in 2015.
Welsh jockey Bowen edged past that figure on May 27 to make it 70 with a double that included a victory on Whatawit, notable for being the shortest price winner in British racing history at 1/100.
Wedge had to be content with a couple of second-places at the same meeting, but has vowed to challenge Bowen again for the crown at one of his favourite racecourses.
“Someone had mentioned I was close to that record at Ffos Las in the week before the meeting, so it would have been nice to have taken it,” says Wedge.
“Ffos Las is one of my favourite places to ride. It’s a very fair and even track and the best horse normally wins. There are not many hard luck stories around there.
Favourite racecourse
“It’s a lovely, flat, galloping track and it’s definitely one of my favourite racecourses.”
Wedge, who rides for leading Welsh trainer Evan Williams, may have missed out on one landmark, but he recently passed another when he rode his 500th career winner.
The 33-year-old insists he’s not a big one for statistics and numbers and prefers to take the job day-by-day and race-by-race.
“I’d say there are a few jockeys who look at the record and the stats every day, but I always feel it’s not going to make a difference to how I ride,” he says.
“I prefer to let other people keep the numbers and then let me know about them when I need to. And even then, it’s not going to change my approach.”
Wedge winners
Passing the 500 mark earlier this season coincided with a notable win at Haydock Park when Wedge triumphed at the Swinton Handicap Hurdle on Black Poppy for trainer Kerry Lee.
“I’ve got a few winners on the board and that’s what it’s all about. I ride for some very good trainers and it’s all about keeping the ball rolling with winners.
“I don’t like to set numbers or anything like that. I just try and ride consistently and do the best job I can do every day.”
Wedge was brought up in Halesowen near Dudley in the West Midlands, but is considered by many racegoers as having lived in Wales long enough to be a naturalised Welshman.
Those Welsh credentials were further strengthened when he was a popular winner of the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow with a typically gutsy performance to win on Reprieve in 2021.
Welshman Wedge!
He now lives near Bridgend, has a smallholding of a few acres, and insists: “I think I’ve been here long enough to be inherited Welsh now.
“I have been with Evan for 13 years now, so I’ve been down here a long time.”
He aims to be here for a while yet, too, so plenty of time to build up those winners figures and try to overtake Bowen as the leading man around Ffos Las.
Unfortunately, Wedge won’t get the opportunity to get closer to Bowen’s total on June 8, though, the next Ffos Las meeting, as he’ll be sitting out an eight-day ban for breaching rules for use of the whip in that victory at the Swinton Hurdle.
So, what do jockeys do exactly when they are fit and available, but suspended from racing?
Is it a quick week’s holiday, or a few extra lay-ins at home?
“If only! I’m very busy at home with some renovation, so I’ll be flat out with that and it will keep my mind occupied.”
