Top jockey Ben Looker celebrates first Lismore Cup win

Ben Looker won the Lismore Cup for the first time on five-year-old gelding Flywheel. Photo: ALBERT PEREZ/AAP
It was the first time the 34-year-old has won the race since he started riding on the Northern Rivers in 2008.
The win comes six years after his first Cup triumph on home soil at Grafton and cements his status as one of the top jockeys in Country NSW, with more than 1000 career wins.
“I’ve been coming to Lismore since day dot, so it’s nice to finally win one,” Looker said.
“I got poleaxed coming out of the gates and had to go to plan B.
“The tempo was on from the start and from the 500m onwards I was able to sneak up near the front.”
Flywheel ($7) finished ahead of Anythink Goes ($3.10 favourite), with Lismore trainer Daniel Bowen’s At Witz End ($15) in third.
The win means Flywheel is eligible to compete in the $3 million Big Dance at Randwick on November 4.
The horse is trained at Eagle Farm in Brisbane by Robert Heathcote, with stable representative Jarred Coetzee in attendance at Lismore.
“We earmarked this race a long time ago and it’s been a long preparation, but he’s a tough bugger,” Coetzee said.
“He keeps bouncing through his runs, he eats up and now we’re off to the big dance.
“This horse has shown ability, he’s had bad barriers this campaign and missed jumps, but he was still the best one in the race today.”
Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn had three winners on the day, while jockey Andrew Mallyon rode a winning double.
Lismore Turf Club secretary manager Scott Jones said the prize money for the feature race will increase to $100,000 next year.
Spring racing continues on the Northern Rivers with the next TAB meeting to be held at Ballina Jockey Club on Sunday, October 5.