MORNINGTON jockey Jake Noonan will represent Australia at the Asian Young Guns Challenge next month.
The leading Victorian apprentice continues his comeback from a serious injury to realise one of his dreams when he takes part in the event at Macau's Taipa racecourse on August 4.
The series brings together the best apprentices from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Macau.
School commitments and injury have prevented Noonan from taking part in the past two series and he is thrilled to finally get the opportunity.
"I was offered to go a couple of years back when Jordan Mallyon and Billy Egan went to Singapore, but I couldn't go that year because I had exams and then I couldn't compete in the series here at Flemington last year because I wasn't quite back from my injury," Noonan said.
"I could see it was on the cards again, this is my last year as an apprentice, so I was hoping I was going to get the call up and it's good to get the opportunity again. It's pretty exciting and a good honour to go over and represent Australia in another country."
The Asian Young Guns series has been going since 2009, when first run at Flemington, and offers points on a 25-15-10-7-5-3-2-1 basis to the first eight home in each of the three heats.
Noonan heads overseas next Tuesday and will ride track work and take part in other aspects of racing in Macau and Hong Kong.
Warren is eying off the Manikato Stakes with the four year old likely to resume at Moonee Valley in August in the group 3 McEwen Stakes.
"He's two and a half weeks back in work and he looks absolutely terrific," Warren told the Weekly. "We're going to be targeting races like the Manikato and the Patinack in the spring."
The Group One Manikato Stakes (1200m) will be run on Cox Plate eve, October 26, at Moonee Valley.
Mornington will hold a midweek race meet today with eight races on the card.