APPRENTICE LEAH KILNER ALREADY MAKING HER MARK IN SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 9, 2021

Leah Kilner has not wasted any time in demonstrating that she will provide a further boost to the riding ranks in South-East Queensland.

Kilner, who landed a Saturday Metropolitan double aboard Rock Amore and Emerald Kingdom for leading trainers Tony Gollan and Robert Heathcote at Eagle Farm on July 31, followed that up with another double at the Sunshine Coast this weekend, saluting on Leave Me Alone and Sergeant Silver … both being Heathcote trained runners, with the latter coming home as an $18 chance.

Those wins for Heathcote were important as Kilner is currently on trial as apprentice with the multi-premiership winning trainer, a position she hopes to make permanent at the end of the trial period.

“I still have six weeks of the trial to go,” said Kilner. “If all things go well, like it is, hopefully we can take it up from there.

“I’ve pretty much just been up here for a couple of weeks so far, just doing what I would normally do. We thought we would give it a couple of weeks to make sure I liked it up here. It was really good of him to allow me to do that.

“I’m staying with Ben (Thompson) and Steph (Thornton). I’m very lucky to have them for support and to help me settle in.”

Three wins from eight rides for Heathcote in the last ten days show just how well things are going for Kilner at this time.

One of her Heathcote winners came aboard the stable’s Stradbroke runner Emerald Kingdom, with Kilner thrilled to be entrusted with the ride on the eleven-time winner.

‘That was massive,” volunteered Kilner. “He is a Group winner, so it was a massive thing for me to be able to ride him. It was very exciting and I was very, very lucky to be given that opportunity.”

The race itself was as exciting with Kilner, who was taking 3kg off the 61.5kg Emerald Kingdom was set to carry, pulling out all of the stops under an impressive, well-rated, inch perfect ride to get Emerald Kingdom, who had chased to the lead early from a wide draw, home by the narrowest of margins.

Heathcote, by his own admission, has not been that keen on taking on apprentices, certainly in recent years.

Heathcote put forward his reasoning behind that view.

“Their (the apprentices) expectations are not usually matched by their enthusiasm and work ethic,” said Heathcote, talking in a general sense.

“Too many apprentices nowadays chop and change masters when something a little challenging comes up … be that either to do with work or if they don’t get the rides they feel they deserve from the trainer … then they say, ‘oh well, I’ll just go to another trainer.’

“So, I’d say, that’s where my reluctance comes from.

“Having said that, what I have seen of Leah, she is good.

“I had a strong chat to her about things at the start. She has been with me some two weeks now and has had plenty of rides and a winner in town, so I would say we are both happy with the way things are going.

“I think it is a big plus that Leah is staying with Ben Thompson and Stephanie Thornton who have both done so well since moving up here. That’s a good, positive environment around which to base herself.

“She’s going to make mistakes … I know that … but, guess what … so do the senior jockeys, so she won’t be alone.”

Kilner has taken on board Heathcote’s comments.

“It’s all good,” said Kilner. “I have grown up working with racehorses. With dad being a trainer, I know all of the ins and outs of the work that goes into running a stable and I’m not shy of working hard.

“I think, if I can show Rob I’m happy to do all the work I can, he will appreciate that.”

Is it too early to be setting goals, or has Kilner got any particular targets in mind that she plans to aim at in the future?

“To start, I’m just looking to establish myself here,” answered Kilner. “I have previously won the Northern Rivers Apprentice Premiership. I won two of those … and, the season before last, I won the Apprentice Premiership at the Gold Coast.

“One of my big goals would be to take out the Apprentice Premiership in Brisbane. It is going to be hard, but I’m going to give it a good crack.”

And the last word from Rob Heathcote?

“So far from what I’ve seen Leah, I’ve already been very impressed.”

It is early days in the big smoke for Kilner. The road to success is usually a long one, but you can only do what you can at any particular time and, right now, those words of Heathcote, a trainer who knows his story and is not one to pull any punches, translates into high praise indeed for the young rider.

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