Ballard put all of his riding talent on show as he guided Marina Sands to an emphatic victory in the Open Handicap (1200 metres).

As he cruised to the winning post with an unassailable advantage on the classy sprinter, Ballard’s emotional celebrations revealed the sacrifices and hard work required to make the weight as a tall jockey. 

In the lead-up the final meeting of the 2013-14 season, Ballard went the extra mile to ride at the required 58 kilograms to make the weight allocation for Marina Sands – and it was visibly taking its toll on his body.

The win on Marina Sands broke the deadlock with  apprentice Tamara Tincknell after the pair went into the feature race tied on 13 wins, after the pair each scored a win prior to the finale.

Tincknell loomed up to win the race aboard Rocket On By ($3.80) but could only manage third spot with Marina Sands’ dream run in the race the difference as Ballard  notched his third consecutive Mount Isa jockey’s title.

The bar will now be set considerably higher for Marina Sands, trained by Ballard’s mum Denise, with a likely match-up with Cleveland Bay Handicap runner Le Cap and fifth placegetter Outstandingly on Mailman Express day.

“[Marina Sands] will bump into some stiff competition now and he’ll have his work cut out, but we’ve always had faith he’s a pretty handy horse,” Ballard said.

Ballard admitted he would’ve been unbeatable had the race been 1000m but he was worried with the extra distance after Marina Sands missed two runs because of races called off at Richmond and Julia Creek.

But the four-year-old son of Casino Prince showed his turn of foot as he exploded after rounding the turn to win by two lengths.

Ballard said to win the title with a horse trained by his mum made it extra special and was adamant he would continue working hard to prolong his career in the saddle.

“I’ll keep going as long as mum’s got horses,” he said. 

“It’s really enjoyable riding for mum, it really is something special.

“There’s a different level of gratification that you get from those wins, and also from being so in touch with how much hard work she puts in.”

The title win came against the odds after Ballard missed two meetings in Mount Isa while on his honeymoon, but he also lauded the effort of Tincknell who enjoyed an ultra-consistent year.

Ballard’s day got off to a flying start with Bullrama’s tough win in the opening Benchmark 65 Handicap (1450m).

Aaron Spradau finished third with 12 wins after a victory aboard the Grant Wiles-trained Flying Indy ($21) in the QTIS Benchmark 55 Handicap (1000m) on Saturday.

Tash Chambers (10 wins) finished fourth in the title race after her win aboard the consistent Gesticulation ($5.50) in the Benchmark 55 Handicap (1000m).

Ballard also secured the Queensland Country Jockey’s premiership (36 wins) from fellow Mount Isa rider Spradau.

Dan and his mum Denise also have the best trainer/jockey strike rate in Australia. The pair combined for 26 wins from 60 starts for a 43.3 per cent strike rate.