The 20-year-old will now join the John O’Shea stable.
Photo: Trackpix Racing Photography.
Only two years ago, Southern Districts apprentice jockey Molly Bourke rode her first winner.
It was back in May of 2021, and the Tumbarumba product had guided one of her favourites in Mouse Almighty to victory at Murrumbidgee Turf Club for her then Master, George Dimitropoulos.
Since then, the 20-year-old has ridden 83 winners, outriding her country claim, and during that time, she has brought up metropolitan and Country Cup winners, making a name for herself as the best apprentice jockey in Southern NSW.
Bourke has since been rewarded for her efforts and will join the strong John O’Shea Racing team next month as she looks to take the next step in her burgeoning career.
“Going to town has definitely come along quicker than I thought,” Bourke told NSW Country and Picnic Racing.
“I didn’t think I’d outride my country claim this quickly and be aiming for that next claim, but it has worked out well.”
The Tumbarumba product, which has tasted great success since joining Doug Gorrel’s Wagga yard, explained how she ended up with O’Shea.
“We just got word of him needing an apprentice, and it was my manager that got in touch with him, then Doug gave him a call,” She said.
“He was pretty keen from the get-go and wanted to meet up with me, and we had a meeting (at Randwick), and from there, we got it all sorted.”
Bourke has blossomed into a handy jockey in recent months and is riding with a lot of class and confidence.
Still, it didn’t happen overnight, and Bourke said she started to believe she could make a real career in the industry once the winners began to pile up.
“Every time you get some momentum, you have that confidence,” She said.
“As I gained confidence, there were opportunities from trainers around here, and I was riding winners weekly; that’s when I thought, ‘I can do this and go to that next level’.”
It will be very different living and riding in Sydney, and the country girl is looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ve never been with a big stable, so there’s definitely plenty of nerves, but I’m excited to go and ride that good quality of horse against those good jockeys,” She said.
“It will be exciting, and I just want to keep my momentum going and go to Sydney with a few winners on my back.”
Bourke, who will no doubt be shooting for the moon, will try and keep her feet on the ground for the time being, with her initial goal to make a mark on the provincial racing scene.
“I’ll look to outride my provincial claim first and target the provincials, and having a stable like John O’Shea behind me means I should be able to get the job done and go on with it,” She said.
Bourke will ride at Goulburn on Friday before she kicks off with the O’Shea yard on June 5.
