Maggie Collett isn’t entirely sure why tough sprinter Sir Now thrives under her riding, but the South Australian hoop is thrilled to be reunited with him in Saturday’s Christmas Handicap at Morphettville.

Collett, who has 146 career winners, is still chasing an elusive stakes win, but her chances of securing the major victory increase drastically when partnering the Darryl Hewitt-trained Sir Now.

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Collett has ridden Sir Now nine times, for six wins, the pair combined for a third-placed finish in the Lightning Stakes in July, Collett’s last appearance on the gelding.

After a bold start to his career, winning seven of his first 13 starts, Sir Now has finished third, fourth, fifth, fifth and eighth in outings at Morphettville and Flemington, tackling formidable rivals at Benchmark and stakes grade.

He’s been out of the winner’s stall recently, but there’s no question Collett brings out the best in Sir Now.

The son of Sir Prancealot was a scratching behind the barriers on December 6 after refusing to load, requiring him to load without delay at a barrier trial prior to his next race start.

“I’m stoked to be back on him,” Collett, a dual-license holder, said.

“I actually trialled him a couple of weeks ago to get his certificate back.

“He’s not straightforward, he’s a bit of a difficult horse at the gates but he was really good the other day and he goes really well for me.”

Collett riding Sir Now to a win at Morphettville in June. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

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The four-year-old is the stablemate of fellow Sir Prancealot gelding, Snoopy Now.

Hewitt has made no secret of the fact that both horses are difficult to handle behind the scenes, but Collett seems to have the knack with Sir Now on race day.

“I just try to be kind to him and not bully him too much, because he is a bit of a highly strung kind of horse,” he said.

“But if you just be as kind as you can with him, he seems to gel with that.

“I’m actually very lucky that I don’t ride his trackwork anymore, Connor Murtagh rides a lot of his work, as well as Josh.

“He’s just a real handful all around really but he goes really well, and you put up with them when they are so good.”

The roughie holds on! 💰

Sir Now wins the first race at Murray Bridge at $61! 👀 pic.twitter.com/dMkvxbpLMO

— Racing.com (@Racing) July 3, 2024

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Collett’s affiliation with Sir Now started with a bang.

The pair saluted at monster odds of $101 at Murray Bridge in 2024, defeating Mesrour, and Snoopy Now.

“I actually picked him over Snoopy in his first start,” she said.

“He jumped out really well, he was a real speedy horse back then, he is now, but he can take a sit.

“I’m just stoked to be back on him again, hopefully we can get up Saturday.

“I think he’s probably the best horse I’ve ever ridden.

“I don’t really know why he goes so well for me, I was on him a lot early days when I had a claim.”

While Sir Now is on the fifth line of betting as a $9.50 hope with Sportsbet, Collett believes the gelding has a massive chance.

“It’s a huge thrill (to be riding him), he’s a real genuine chance, 1200m won’t affect him,” Collett said.

“I thought his run at Flemington not too long ago actually had a lot of merit.

“It was down the straight and he’s a bit of a thinker, he could have just thought about it a little bit.

“He doesn’t really put in a bad run, his last run he kind of went back. I think they took blinkers off and put earmuffs on, maybe it settled him a little too much.

“He’s got earmuffs off and blinkers back on Saturday – which I think will suit him.”