Rawiller believes that mental edge, after a relatively slow start to his career, can help him push on.
“I just feel like a few of the boys who have retired in the last few years like Bossy, Jimmy Cassidy, those guys were at the top of their game from a young age,” said Rawiller, who is still “always looking out for that next good horse”.
“I reckon I was a bit of a slow maturer, and I didn’t really hit top form until the 24-25 years mark and I just feel like I can get myself mentally in tune for at least a few more years yet.
“In my time riding in not only Australia but around the world, some of the guys that I’ve ridden against beyond my age, they’ve been as good or better than the best jockeys in the world.
“They’ve had that experience under their belt, and they’ve still got the drive, which is unique. You’ve got to be a unique person, I think, to still have that drive when you get to this age. But I think the ones that do have proven it’s still possible to really compete at the top level.”
On Saturday, Rawiller and Private Eye ($10 with Sportsbet) will face a tough task from gate 14 in the group 2 feature.
“It was a bit of a drop in class for him, but I loved the way he put them away,” he said of the last-start win.
“Saturday is a real race, but I think it was important he had a bit of a confidence-booster going into it.”
He also has the ride on $3.30 favourite Sea King in the listed Christmas Cup (2400m). The import, 14th in the Melbourne Cup, will debut for Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn.
“He’s been pretty well performed overseas, he came out here for the Melbourne Cup and won my hometown cup, the Bendigo Cup. His weight didn’t give me a chance to ride him unfortunately,” Rawiller said.
“The main goal now would be to get him through his grades a bit more and get him to the point where he’s in the Melbourne Cup next year with 55 kilos or something, so I can ride him. That would be ideal.
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“I went to the Gold Coast and trialled him last week, and I was really impressed with what I felt. He seems to be in a good frame of mind.”
Rawiller also rides Godolphin’s Contemporary ($9.50) in the listed Razor Sharp (1200m). Rawiller took him to three wins and a second in four rides last preparation but wasn’t aboard first-up in the Starlight Stakes when sixth.
“He’s always been a horse I’ve had a lot of time for,” he said.
“I thought the other day, that track should have been OK for him. He’s always performed quite well on wet tracks, so it’s a hard one to work out, but he did run into a bit of a bottleneck at the 150m mark, which have might cost him. So looking forward to getting back on him.”
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