Apprentice jockey Angel Brennan celebrated the biggest milestone of her burgeoning career with a maiden victory at Narrabri on Saturday.
Riding for Tamworth trainer Troy O’Neile, Brennan jumped aboard Steel Claws, and the pair were too good in the end, getting the job done in the 1200m Class One Handicap.
Having debuted at Deepwater in January and gone agonisingly close to a winner over the past two months, Brennan was just happy to be in the winner’s circle.
“It was good to get the monkey off my back and get that first winner,” Brennan told Country Punter.
“He (Steel Claws) was a good ride, and he gave me that right feel; I had ridden him previously, and done a bit of trackwork on him, but on Saturday, everything felt good.
“He wasn’t as silly as last time, and he was quiet in the gates, so I was very excited coming out, and confident he could get it done.”
The 22-year-old, who’s indentured to Craig Martin, has been working hard towards her first career victory and was thankful to O’Neile and his Tamworth stable for the winning opportunity.
“Troy has been brilliant and helped me a lot, and I’m super appreciative for everything he has done,” Brennan said.
“His stable has taken horses to random places, just so I have a ride, and he uses his own horses.
“Plus, Jemma (Wilson) is a big part of the family there, and she helps me a lot, and pushed for me to ride that horse, and even when I saw her before the race, she said ‘you’ve got this’; they have always helped me and had my back no matter what.”
From the Beaudesert region in Queensland, Brennan started out with Greg Cornish and spent time with Melissa Dennett before working the past two years with the Martin stable.
Not from a racing family, Brennan had a chance opportunity at school that sparked a newfound passion for thoroughbred racing.
“It was a bit of a funny story as nobody in my family has anything to do with racing,” Brennan said.
“My high school teacher (Ross Howard) was a racehorse trainer, and one of my friends was doing jump outs, and showed me, and I thought it looked cool.
“I thought I’d give it a go but didn’t know anything about the industry or what to do, so I asked Mr Howard who might be looking for a rider, and he sent me straight to Greg Cornish.”
Brennan has enjoyed her introduction to racing and is getting a lot of support from fellow jockeys in the tight-knit North West racing community
“It’s been really good, and the girls in the jockey room have been beautiful,” Brennan said.
“Plus, jockeys like Daniel Northey and Ben Looker have helped me and guided me, and I’ll go and see them, and they’ll pick through my rides and help me learn and get better.”
Like any young jockey, Brennan is dreaming big but wants to keep her feet on the ground as she improves and gains confidence.
“I’ve got that first win, and from here, I want to keep improving and refining my skills, and hopefully one day I’m off to Sydney,” Brennan said.
