He definitely does.
Mark Walker has gone to train in Singapore this year and taken quite a few of his NZ horses with him (including Tell A Tale
), so John Sargent now has the biggest stable in NZ. Mark's the contracted rider for that stable, and I think he'll have a great season riding horses like Passchendaele, St Germaine, Red Ruler, Banchee and the good 2yos they always have.
Opie might have trouble winning enough races in NZ because he's said he's going to follow Katie anywhere she goes to ride her. It sounds like she'll be doing a bit of racing in Australia from about October. Opie will miss quite a few NZ rides because of that, but I think it's the right choice!