Sewell riding the wave in North Queensland

By Jordan Gerrans

Riding with a clear mind aboard better quality stock, while being injury free, has led to a career-best run of form on the track for Queensland hoop Adam Sewell.

The father of two children under five has been as consistent as he has ever been on a week-to-week basis, while also striking during the Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival when the big prizemoney is on offer.

In the just completed 2025-26 campaign, the Sunshine Coast-based jockey recorded 61 victories, 14 more winners than his previous high mark of 47 triumphs back in the 2016-17 term.

The 30-year-old jockey completed a clean sweep of the three feature races at Saturday’s Cairns meeting, claiming the Cairns Amateur Cup, Lightning Handicap as well as the Belle Of The Daintree.

In recent weeks, he has also claimed the Mackay Cup aboard Journalism, as well as the H.L. Black Memorial at the same venue.

“I feel like I am reading races better,” Sewell said of his recent run of form.

“All jockeys have injuries and setbacks and stuff like that, but I feel like I didn’t have much of that last year.

“I think it was probably the first full season, basically, that I’ve had like that since I finished my apprenticeship. I have gone quite well on the back of it.”

He also claimed the $105,000 Northern Jewel QTIS 3YO Handicap aboard Exodas at Mackay in June. 

The six feature victories mentioned have all come for the white-hot stable of young conditioner Lachie Manzelmann.

The four northern coastal tracks that make up the carnival – Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns – have long been frequented by fly-in, fly-out riders.

There has been a changing landscape in the FIFO jockey ranks in recent years with Les Tilley, Nathan Day and Justin P Stanley, among others, no longer as prominent on the circuit.

It has opened the door for Sewell, Nathan Thomas and Sean Cormack, as well as a few others, to pick up the slack.

Thomas and Sewell often carpool together to the airport from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane to make the long trips away easier.

Sewell, who hails from Sydney, has struck up a close bond with Manzelmann and it is paying dividends for both parties.

“I was confident he could win after the barrier draw and especially when Adam (Sewell) got down to ride him at 53kg, as he normally rides 54kg,” Lachie Manzelmann said after the Mackay Cup.

“Adam was midfield on the fence with Journalism and never went around a horse, so it was a great ride.”

The growing Sewell and Manzelmann partnership dates back to October of 2025 when they combined to qualify Divine Okay for the Country Cups Challenge Final.

“We went out to Cloncurry to make sure we got that ticket and Adam Sewell came out there for us and rode him a treat,” Lachie Manzelmann said at the time.

“He won super comfortable that day in Cloncurry and he won well again at Mackay the other day.”

Manzelmann is only in the infancy of his thoroughbred training career after recently switching over from the harness code.

Sewell has ridden for top stables such as Gai Waterhouse and Stuart Kendrick earlier in his career.

He says that when he takes engagements for Manzelmann, the young horseman sends him out to compete without a muddled mind and he is able to ride the race as it comes to him.

“I started riding for Lachie and he has obviously got the backing of his father John who has been spending a bit of money to buy new horses,” Sewell said.

“So, that’s probably a big part of it too, I’ve been getting on decent stock there.

“Lachie, he’s pretty good to ride for, he doesn’t lock me down with instructions, he tells me where he wants me to be with certain horses and then others they sort of give me free rein on.

“So, that probably gives you a bit more confidence when you’ve got that.

“Obviously you do your form, but if things don’t pan out, you’re not under so much stress to try and push through things that probably the horse can’t do.

“Then that’s probably why things are paying off a bit more than they were before.”

Sewell will always be indebted to veteran galloper The Driller, who he says helped kick-start his career in Central and North Queensland in 2023 when they won the Cairns Cup together.

They turned back the clock together on Saturday to lift the Cairns Amateur Cup, with The Driller now racing as a 10-year-old having ticked past 100 career starts.

Reflecting back on the 2023 Cup triumph and his riding form since, Sewell says he is gaining more momentum now compared to three years ago.

“It probably hasn’t carried on to each meeting, where in this carnival, it’s been more consistent,” he said.

“It’s probably good that I’ve been able to follow the same horses through a bit more. They’ve been consistent the whole way through, as well.”

As he usually rides in Central and North Queensland, Sewell had a rare day at the track with his kids on Sunday when he took one engagement at Kilcoy.

He was in action at Rockhampton on Tuesday before heading back to Cairns for the final two meetings of the carnival over Friday and Saturday.

He is hopeful of finishing the carnival with a bang with a strong book of feature mounts.

Sewell will ride Red Hot Lizzie in the Newmarket on Friday, Journalism in the Cup on Saturday and Mayor Of Kingston in the Daintree Guineas.

“As long as Journalism gets around the Cairns circuit, he will be competitive,” the jockey said.

“He hasn’t raced there before, but it should be straightforward and work out okay.”

Following the Mackay Cup win, Journalism finished third in the Townsville Cup and will be well placed to contend in Saturday’s $150,000 event.