Saturday’s nearly 12-hour roundtrip from Sydney to Condobolin was worth it for Izzy Neale, who made a winning debut as an amateur jockey.
The 19-year-old Scone product, based in Sydney these days with the John Thompson yard, made the trip for one ride, and it was her first ride when jumping board Scruff’s Magic for Wellington trainer Daniel Stanley.
Taking on the 1100m Class One Trophy Handicap, Neale gave the five-year-old a splendid ride in behind the pace before peeling wide and storming to a one-and-a-half length victory when defeating the Connie Greig-trained pair of Better Judgement (Grady Spokes, $4.60) in second and Camp Cove (Leandro Ribeiro, $2) in third.
“It made the long trip worthwhile,” Neale told NSW Country and Picnic Racing.
“Going there, I didn’t really know what to expect, and I was so neutral and wasn’t excited or nervous.
“I didn’t look at the other horses’ form and knew I had a bit of advantage because of our weight (59kg) compared to the others, and my only thought was to try and utilise that and give her a good run, but I never expected to win.”
Neale enjoyed the ride on Scruff’s Magic, which started the despised outsider at $21, and she touched on the critical moments during the race and what the result meant to her.
“She jumped really well, but she couldn’t get to the lead, so I had to sidle her a pair back, and at about 400 metres from home, I pulled her out around the bend and got her going, and she just kept lifting and found gears and raced really well,” Neale said.
“It was a comfortable win, and I sort of knew I had it as soon as I passed whoever was in front, and I was like, ‘I’m in front and no one is going to catch me’.
“She was doing it well and travelling, and I was about 10 metres from the post and gave her a pat.
“As soon as I went past the post, I was really happy, and Leo (Ribeiro) came past and said, ‘Good job’, and I was almost about to cry.
“When we got back in, she definitely got lots of pats, and it was such a nice feeling doing it for Daniel and his daughter Emily.”
The amateur hoop was thrilled for connections and grateful for the opportunity.
“She was the best mare, and he was the best trainer to have my ride for, and it was a great experience and introduction to racing,” Neale said.
“He basically gave me free rein and said to have fun with it as it was my first ride.
“He said don’t bust her around too much trying to lead but keep her out of the kickback, but he was straightforward with everything.”
Neale is now turning her attention to the Yass picnic meeting on Saturday, where she is looking to lock in some rides.
“I didn’t get to meet a lot of trainers, but I met a lot of the jockeys on Saturday, and I’ve had one or two trainers message me and congratulate me, and some might have a run for me at Yass next weekend,” Neale said.
“Nothing’s locked in, and a few are waiting to see if they get runs, but it is definitely closer to Sydney, and I’ll look to ride there.”
On a big day at Condobolin, Connie Greig and Leandro Ribeiro dominated proceedings, combining for a winning treble.
The pair won the $11,000 Condobolin Picnic Cup (1400m) with Linden Tree ($3), which held off stablemate Valadyium (John Wilson, ($6.50) by a length-and-a-half while in third was the Rodney Robb-trained Red Impulse (Anthony Williams, $3.60).
The pair also won the 1000m Open Trophy Handicap with Billy Bent Ear ($2) and the 1700m Class Three Open Trophy Handicap with Kalpana ($4).
For more on the Picnic Champion Series, click here.
For the NSW Picnic Racing dates, click here.
