AND NOW FOR ROCKHAMPTON …

By Graham Potter | Friday, May 27, 2022

After putting her toe in the water in North Queensland (where she rode two winners in her first two meetings at Townsville) Jasmine Cornish is now expanding her opportunities up north by accepting rides in Rockhampton, where she will be in action today.

The young rider took the initial change of scenery in her stride. Her past record brought her good support from trainers in Townsville where she had nine rides over the two meetings for no less than six different trainers.

“Ricky Ludwig invited me to ride Lord Of Light,” said Cornish, explaining how the call to go to Townsville came about. “The first time I rode him (on May 6) he came third. Ricky Ludwig had said before that the plan was, if he ran well, to come up and ride him again in two week’s time in the big Jewel race (the $105 000 Townsville QTIS Three-Year-Old Jewel Handicap on May 20).

“We knew that the horse needed further … the race was only over 1300m. He gets back … doesn’t have any early speed … but flies home. In the end, we got fourth place.

“But, yeah, I was lucky enough to ride those two winners for Leslie Gordy (Boona Boy) and Clinton Taylor (The Egyptian) at my first two meetings.

“The facilities at Townsville are so nice. It’s the nicest jockey room I have been in.” (And Cornish has been in quite a few so she does have a clear point of reference).

Contributing to Cornish’s seamless flow into new territory is the fact that she has family in the region.

“I also get to go and see my family when I go up there. It is just so good to see them all,” said Cornish.

‘I’ll be back in Townsville again on Tuesday, May 31.”

But, before that, Cornish will take another new path north when she rides at Rockhampton on Friday May 27 where she will reunite with her first Townsville winner, the Clinton Taylor trained The Egyptian, who will be looking to make it four-in-a-row.

Her other four rides on the day are all for the South-East Queensland based trainer Matt Kropp.

The schedule for one of the hardest working jockeys has just got that much more demanding, but Cornish is clearly lapping up the experience and is very much focussed on learning everything she can to help her progress in her profession … an attitude which already has served her well and will undoubtedly continue to do so.

More articles