Doherty (28) has been based with South Canterbury trainer David Hutton for the past year, after stints up north, and is already sitting on 30 wins for the season.
Like several of his mounts at Wingatui today, Doherty, who won the 2011 Great Western Steeplechase on Kakapuka, is gearing up for the jumps season. He is also forging a good combination with Hutton, both on the track and at Hutton's Pleasant Point training facility.
Doherty teams up with Twointhebush for Hutton in race 2.
Doherty said the Occidental Tourist mare had been waiting for some time for a start before the rain finally started to hit the South Island.
''We've been waiting for the heavier tracks with her, and we couldn't really wait much longer,'' he said.
Twointhebush was previously prepared by Paul and Kris Shailer at Matamata, placing four times from eight starts in the Waikato and Central Districts.
Faites Vos Jeux (race 6) has already given Doherty two wins, firstly at Wingatui in April last year, shortly after he began working for Hutton, and at Oamaru in July. Doherty said the 6yr-old mare did not have much luck at Omakau and a softer surface would also suit the daughter of Yamanin Vital. Ballyrina, Doherty's mount in race 7 today, is one he hopes to team up with again later in the season as Omakau trainer Murray Hamilton starts to get his jumping team ready.
''I think Murray [Hamilton] has been schooling her,'' he said.
The Irishman, who grew up in Dublin, intends to apply for residency at some stage in the future. Last year Doherty won 18 races but already this season he has 30 wins to his name, and he has 63 career wins after five seasons - 54 of those on the flat.
He has no great goals in terms of wins - ''any win is a good one'' - but he is thrilled to be sitting second on the national apprentice jockeys' premiership. Waikato apprentice Rory Hutchings leads with 43 wins. Hutton is doing it tough at the moment, having broken his collarbone recently. It is an injury Doherty has had in the past as well. Doherty said Hutton was doing as much as he could around the place.
''He's great to work for and he's an absolute gem.''
Wingatui track manager Wayne Stevens said the track had recovered well after the transfer of the Riverton Jockey Club's meeting to Wingatui last Wednesday.
''We've moved the rail out 3m, but it's come back pretty good,'' Stevens said.
The track had cut up slightly more in an area going out of the straight, where there was new grass with shallower roots, but Stevens was
happy with the rest of the track and the quality of the dead (4) surface yesterday.
''There is a forecast for a bit of rain in the morning but, hopefully, we'll miss it,'' he said.
