WHILE THE BIG GUNS HOGGED THE HEADLINES TWO YOUNG RIDERS WERE MAKING A MARK OF THEIR OWN

By Graham Potter | Friday, September 2, 2016

While the big guns were hogging the headlines at the recent Queensland Racing Awards, just off centre stage two young apprentice riders were making a statement of their own. Stephanie Lacy, who took out the Country Apprentice of the Year, and Rookie Of The Year Brooke Ainsworth capped off the season by gaining due recognition at the awards for their sterling efforts over the previous twelve months, just as HRO gives them due recognition in this two part story

Part 2 - Brooke Ainsworth:

It was a good season for me.

I’ think every winner is a thrill.

Actually what gives me the biggest thrill is not so much the winners in particular, it's probably more just about getting good rides and being consistent.

From where you start out it is very difficult to get to that position ... extremely difficult ... and you go through stages, like I had a fall at Warwick in my first year and when I came back I was really struggling to get rides.

My dad Ted, who I was apprenticed to ... who has recently passed away ... he was really good to me. He kept me pretty grounded and I have also had a lot of support from Laurie Richardson, who has supported me from day one. It’s been the same with Mark Palmer. I don’t know how far I could have got without their support.

Also since I’ve been going to the Gold Coast every Saturday Glen Stockdale, the apprentice advocate there, has been amazing in terms of helping me out.

Bryan Guy and Bruce Hill have supported me majorly at the coast. As I said, any winner is good and it’s good to ride for anybody but Bryan Guy and Bruce Hill have got horses that are based there and race well on the track so that has given me a bit of a go on.

Darlene Duraye is another who has given me a lot of opportunity in recent times ... and, of course, there are other trainers who have helped me along the way.

In the jockeys ranks, Michael Cahill and Daniel Griffin have been good supporters in terms of the fact they are happy to give me advice so that I can improve. They give me feedback and criticism when I need it, which is good.

Two top people.

Highlight wise for the season, it is probably a tie between my first metro race win on Yaba Dabl Doya at Ipswich and my first Brisbane winner at Doomben, which was on Hidden Light for Bruce Hill.

Those were very satisfying and important victories for me.

I wasn’t ever thinking of winning the Rookie of the Year award.

My aim for the season was to win the Apprentice Premiership for the Gold Coast, which I achieved.

I think I ended up about eight in front which was pretty comfortable in the end. That was my aim.

Being nominated for the Rookie of the Year award was a surprise, but a good one. To win it was even better.

It comes with a lot of hard work. You are at work six days a week and there were no such things as holidays when I was apprenticed to my dad.

I haven’t moved apprenticeship yet. My mom is applying for a trainer’s licence which hopefully she’ll get. I am hoping to transfer to her and then upgrade to a city licence for a Saturday.

Will my mom be as hard a task- master as my dad?

Harder ... but that is a good thing.

That's exactly what you need in your corner if you are going to keep making progress as I hope to do!

I look forward to it.

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