Hugh Bowman, arguably the world's best big race jockey at the moment, will break the record for the most Australian group 1 winners in a season if he wins the Tatts Tiara in a fortnight.

Hong Kong star Joao Moreira and Ryan Moore, with the backing of Coolmore, have claims to the best jockeys in the world but their records don't match Bowman at the top level in recent times. Remarkably, the boy from Dunedoo has ridden 11 group 1 winners at a winning strike rate of 37 per cent for 2017.

Ruthven was his 13th Australian group 1 winner for the season in Saturday's Queensland Derby and add another three from Hong Kong, it makes it the best season by Australian in the past 30 years. He stands equal with Shane Dye, who twice struck 13 times in Australian group 1s during one season.

Bowman, Moreira and Moore are freakishly talented horsemen but it is the way Bowman has been able to produce at the top level in the past year, which gives him the edge.

The pressure of the biggest races seems to bring the best out Bowman. He's tactically aware and is riding with a confidence that is only matched by his ability.

Bowman is a wanted man when it comes to group 1 racing and invariably rides horses well in the market but he doesn't make mistakes, which has seen him ride more than 60 per cent placegetters at the top level this year.

"That's why you want Hugh Bowman on them," Ciaron Maher said after Ruthven stormed into the Derby at 800m and didn't stop. "He is best around because he just gets it right."

Shinn's free plug

Blake Shinn will spread the word about Australia's richest race in the US in the next month with his breeches carrying a sponsorship for the $10 million Everest in October. The jockeys are able to carry sponsorship in the States and it was Shinn's idea to put Racing NSW brand on his leg.

"He came to us and said he would like to do it and we suggested that it probably should be the Everest," Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys said. "He is riding around the United States in the next month and it gives the Everest promotion it wouldn't have got otherwise."

Invictus honour

Geoff Grimish, a Vietnam veteran, has always named his horses after military themes but next season his two-year-old's names will honour the Invictus Games.

Counterattack carried Grimish's black and grey silks into fourth in the Stradbroke on Saturday and heads to stud at Kitchwin Hills but he has plans for the extra crop of horses to carry the Invictus tag with the Games set for Sydney in 2018.

"I think one will be named Invictus Salute and we are looking at another couple of names if we can get them," Grimish said. "I just want to show my support for the Invictus Games and I would love to have one running when they are on here. I'm looking at a way I can donate something to them if the horses are all right."

Brown on song

When Corey Brown left Australia for Singapore a couple of years ago, he was strained down by group 1 seconds. "I think I had seven seconds in group 1s in the season before I went to Singapore, it has been a lot better since I came back," Brown said after winning the Stradbroke on Impending.

"I'm saying that is my fifth group 1 since being back, with two Sydney Cups, but it is really only four. It is better return than I expected."

Impending completed a long term plan by Godolphin, which opted to chase a Stradbroke rather than group 1s in Sydney in the autumn.

Everest calling

Kris Lees will spell Stradbroke placegetter Clearly Innocent up in Queensland for a couple of weeks before embarking on a mission to run in the Everest in Sydney in the spring. The Kingsford Smith Cup winner needs a big track and enjoys Randwick, but will have to attract slot holder interest to run in the Everest.

"I think being a group 1-winning sprinter that is the race we have to aim for. It is just about finding a slot for him, we are still working that out," Lees said. "It is a different sort of process because you need a sponsor but we will have him ready for that race."

The ultimate racing form guide with free tips, live odds and alerts for all racing.