A system that allows a manager to take a break at an important time will always be hard to beat and Craig Williams has had such a set-up in his bid for the Melbourne jockeys' premiership.
Williams's manager, form analyst Mark Guest, has been on holidays in South America and the US for the past few weeks while the jockey has battled with apprentice Beau Mertens for the local riders' title.
A suspension threatened to derail Williams's premiership chance but doubles at three of the last four Melbourne meetings has pushed the senior rider to a two-win lead over the talented youngster with three meetings remaining in the season.
Williams said he has been able to call on country-based reserves to help him continue to attract strong books of rides in the absence of his full-time manager.
"He (Guest) needs a holiday because he works hard all the time and then I'm very fortunate that Jason Breem and my brother Jason step up to the mark and really help me out,"
"They have done a really fantastic job."
Breem is the Warrnambool-based racing manager for the Symon Wilde stable as well as the manager of apprentice Melissa Julius but he and Jason Williams step into the breach in Guest's absence.
"Our operation works that we speak very regularly and at this time of the year, he's away and I'm very proactive, not reactive, and grateful for Jason Breem's help and my brother's help.
"They take phone calls at all hours of the night or morning."
However, Williams said the premiership battle with Mertens was only part of the operation with the team also working on finding possible spring mounts in the new season.
"At this time of the year, I don't sleep much and I'm on the phone to them looking at certain horses for the future and we work hard at this time of the year," Williams said.
Williams has secured a full book of eight rides at Wednesday's Sandown meeting, including a booking on the impressive last-start Bendigo maiden winner Accelerato and the Robert Smerdon-trained Sacred Theme in the last race of the day.
