FENLON'S IMPORTANT FIRST STAKES WINNING RIDE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, November 16, 2025

It would be an exaggeration to say that the win was of epic proportions, but there can be no doubt that apprentice Tahlia Fenlon’s win aboard the horse named Epic Proportions in the Listed Keith Noud at Doomben on Saturday … her first stakes winning ride … was a very important victory for the young rider, one which could in fact turn out to be one of the pivotal points in her career.

Two reasons for that.

The trajectory of a jockey’s career is largely set by, firstly, the opportunities they are offered, and, secondly, by what they do with those opportunities.

Being offered a Saturday metropolitan ride by the all-powerful Ciaron Maher stable … as Fenlon was … in any centre is huge plus for any rider. Big stables have their regular riders so to get an opportunity there … and keep it … takes some doing.

And your best chance of keeping the ride is winning.

Fenlon did that when the Maher stable first gave her the nod of approval to ride Epic Proportions at Doomben in an Open Handicap on October 25, bringing the five-year-old gelding home in decisive fashion at double figure odds.

That earned her another go on the son of Better Than Ready and, although they found one better on the day in the form of the smart Boomtown Boss, Fenlon did nothing wrong in pushing Epic Proportions into second spot.

Another box ticked.

Then it was on to Saturday and another clearcut victory, again at useful odds … this time the staring price was $6.

One win could have a touch of luck to it. Two wins and a second from three rides means that Fenlon was doing all that the Maher team was asking of her.

Importantly, not only would the Maher stable be well aware of that, but other trainers watching from the outside will be taking notes, some of whom will arguable consider Fenlon for future engagements.

This is a happy case of being offered an opportunity and making the most of it.

Last season’s historic Premiership winner Angela Jones and her season long rival Emily Lang dominated the jockey ladder last season.

That was in a large part due to their riding skills and the fact that they continually worked hard on refining those skills for the better … and, of course, they grasped the on-going multitude of opportunities offered to them by multi-premiership winning trainer Tony Gollan with both hands.

So, while it was a day to remember for Fenlon on Saturday, there is still plenty of work to be done.

Fenlon has a good ethic in place … she regularly travels to the likes of Rockhampton and Mackay to ride at meetings during the week … and she is attached to the increasingly powerful Chris and Crey Munce training partnership … where the riding advice she will get will be invaluable.

Learning from that while handling the type of quality horses that are in the Munce stable now can only stand her in good stead moving forward.

Fenlon is poised. She now needs more of the same ... more opportunities ... more good results.

The pathway to success is well sign-posted … that is, for both male and female riders.

The problem is that not everyone can fit onto it

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