TWO FOR CAHILL. TWO FOR THE NOTEBOOK!

The talent of jockey Michael Cahill, who brought home a quality double at Eagle Farm on Saturday, will once again be lost to Queensland racing for a period of time. Cahill will be taking up a contract to ride in Singapore at the end of August.

“Next week I’ll be away in Mauritius. I’m going there to watch my younger brother ride and then it will be on to Singapore,” confirmed Cahill.

"I’ll arrive in Singapore during the last week in August,” continued Cahill. “I had a license to ride there before I was injured and I’ve just kept my options open. This is a good time to put it to use.”

Cahill has been contracted for a period of six months.

Cahill has once again made his mark on the local scene in a short space of time since resuming race riding after his injury enforced layoff. His latest serving of success came aboard two very smart horses in the form of Burdekin Blues and Sommersea Drive.

The Barry Baldwin trained Burdekin Blues has now won five out of eight starts. While his strike-rate is most impressive, it is the manner in which he has gone about his business – such as his demolition job on the opposition on Saturday - that has caught most attention.

“He is a top liner in the making, there is no doubt about that,””enthused Cahill. “He just toys with those sorts of horses. There might not be any champions there but he has just got so many lengths on them.

“He wanted to get out on the track to where he raced last time,” said Cahill. “I didn’t need to hit him in terms of getting the result, but I did give him a couple of smacks just to straighten him up.”

Burdekin Blues, without being pushed out unduly at the line, stopped the clock in 1-09 flat, just 0,30 seconds outside of Tycoon Alley’s Class Record which has stood for more than three years.

Baldwin has targeted the Lightning Stakes as the gelding’s next assignment.

“We can always go there. We can always come back again,” mused Baldwin.

Burdekin Blues will now be spelled for a month before heading down south for that new challenge.

Whereas Burdekin Blues has been steadily building momentum, Sommersea Drive, Cahill’s second winner for the afternoon, has suddenly sprung to life. His latest triumph was his third successive victory.

Trainer Trevor Miller gives his view of Sommersea Drive’s rise to prominence.

“He’s always shown some ability so it is no surprise to me that he is starting to produce results,” explained Miller.

“I suppose you could say he was a bit of a slow learner,” continued Miller, “but ever since the Sunshine Coast Guineas (in which he finished fourth) his rate of progress has improved.

"He seems to be getting an idea of what racing is all about and he is going to get better than he is now,” stated Miller with outright confidence.

“He has been a busy horse. I think he has had maybe ten days off in the last twelve months, so he would be entitled to be going the other way and looking for a break. But instead he is thriving. So all of the signs are good” concluded Miller.