The locals weren’t always this keen on ‘Pommie’ sportsmen - but Tom Marquand parts from Australia’s sports fans on the warmest of terms. “I’ve been dubbed ‘Aussie Tom’ now – that seems to have stuck,” says Marquand, whose four weeks based in Sydney have yielded new landmarks in the saddle. “I certainly cannot complain about anything that’s been written or said about me.
In all honesty, they’ve been absolutely great.” While the coronavirus pandemic has sidelined Marquand's colleagues in Britain, along with practitioners of every other sport, racing has continued behind closed doors in Australia.
Marquand arrived to take part in the Group One Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 21 - and boards the flight home on Saturday evening with the