Photo: Bradley Photos.
As cliché as it may sound, the penny has dropped for apprentice jockey Holly Durnan, who recently celebrated an exhilarating three days in the saddle.
After making her debut at Canberra last month when aboard the Gary Colvin-trained Sizzling Cat, Durnan had gone close without landing her first winner as a jockey.
The 18-year-old finally broke through at Young on Saturday, winning her first race on the David Blundell-trained Summer Cloud in the 1200m Maiden Handicap, and she made it a winning double when getting home for victory on the Merv Rumble-trained Ogrim in the 1400m Class One Handicap.
“It was a huge shock,” Durnan told NSW Country and Picnic Racing.
“I didn’t believe it had happened; I thought, ‘Holy Moly, I’ve just won that race’.
“It’s also funny because I wasn’t in a good mood; I blew a tire on the way to Young, but I was in a fantastic mood when I left,” Durnan laughed.
If that wasn’t enough, Durnan scored her first TAB winner at Nowra on Saturday, and it was on that ever-consistent Sizzling Cat, which just got home to claim victory in the 1600m Benchmark 66 Handicap.
Adding to what was a terrific three-day stretch, the apprentice jockey was back in the Southern Districts on Sunday, and riding at Albury, she hopped aboard the Mitch Beer-trained Swagger – coincidently the first horse she ever trialled – and won the 1175m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
“Riding at Young, it boosted my confidence and made me feel like I can actually do it, but it was great to win on both horses,” Durnan said.
“I was dying to win on Sizzle (Sizzling Cat), and it was great to win on Swagger; it was a way of saying thanks to Mitch for all the trials he put me on when I was first starting out.”
Born and bred in Wagga, Durnan is a fascinating character who worked hard to get her foot in the racing industry’s door.
She’s not from a racing family, and her introduction to the industry was eventing on off-the-track horses, such as The Middle Man, which used to race for Tim Donnelly.
Now, the youngster is an apprentice to Gary Colvin, and she is loving life as a jockey.
“I was interested in being a jockey but didn’t know how to go about it,” Durnan explained.
“I had a few off-the-trackers and wanted to get involved in racing, so I worked with Tim Donnelly, and it snowballed from there, and I really liked it, and I made my way to an apprenticeship.
“The first year was a bit difficult because I didn’t have my licence, and we live 25 minutes out of town, so my parents had to drive me in every morning.
“It all worked out, and Gary has really helped me out with everything, and everything has been easy.”
As far as her introduction to racing, Durnan said she is learning all the time.
“It was definitely a huge eye-opener with how different everything is, even progressing from jump-outs to trials, let alone race riding,” Durnan said.
The Wagga hoop wasn’t taking anything for granted either, and with her first win over a month in the making, she understands she needs to work hard if she wants to continue riding winners.
“It was really frustrating at first,” Durnan said.
“Still, I was so glad to be out there, and everything felt like it went so quick, and it still does, but not to be able to get a winner straight away made me realise how hard it actually is.”
As all young jockeys do, Durnan dreams of big things and would love to one day ride in town, but for now, it’s baby steps as she continues in the early stages of her apprenticeship.
“I’m really happy with where I am, and I’d love to outride my country claim in the next year or so and move to the city,” Durnan said.
“Still, I’ve got a lot to learn, and we’ll see how it all goes.”
The youngster will be in action on her home track on Saturday, with Murrumbidgee Turf Club hosting their Ladies Day Cup meeting on the Wagga Riverside racecourse.
For nominations, click here.
