Sport
15 March, 2024
Western Racing Report
Cowra, Monday, March 4 and Dubbo, Friday, March 8 racing report.
Raced - Cowra, Monday, March 4
Coriah Keatings is quickly working up the ladder in the apprentice jockey ranks and her winning treble at Cowra on Monday included the 1700 metres Club Cowra Diggers Cup on the Danielle Seib, Goulburn-trained Chaotic Beauty.
Patiently ridden by Keatings, Chaotic Beauty settled at the tail of the field with Bobby’s Secret and Avalicious leading the way from Aussie Pharoah and Eva’s Deel.
In the straight, Chaotic Beauty ($3.40 to $3.10) swept down the outside to win by a length from Avalicious (Georgina McDonnell, $7) and Frau Holle (Ken Dunbar, $26).
With 14 placings but still winless after 58 starts, Sensei Jackie had Coriah Keatings in the saddle for the first time when contesting the 1375 metres Cowra Motors Country Boosted Maiden Handicap.
Shaking off joint leader Donna Emilia, Sensei Jackie ($3) broke clear and held on to beat Flying Dubawi (Michael Heagney, $2.50 to $2.05 favourite) with Beograd Boy (Damon Budler, $6) in third place.
Despite being the winner of a sole race, the numerous placings have enabled the Dar Lunn-trained Sensei Jackie to accumulate over $96,000 prizemoney for the owners Guy Mitchell from Binnaway and Rob Pratten from Dubbo.
Queanbeyan trainer Rex Cole supplied the other winner for Coriah Keatings, Chairman’s List in the 1200 metres Dennis Wheyway Memorial Memorial Benchmark 58 Handicap.
After a stride for stride battle over the final 120 metres, Chairman’s List ($4.40) prevailed by a short half head over Can Do It (Will Stanley, $3.70 favourite) with My Girona (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $6) finishing third.
Parkes trainer Sharon Jeffries has been enjoying a winning run over recent meetings and she combined again with Orange based apprentice Will Stanley to win the 1100 metres Happy 30th Katie Core Country Boosted Class One Handicap.
Raced by Jim Connors and partners, Destiny’s Bounty ($3.90) led for home and fought on well to beat Single Attraction (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $3.70) and Luscious (Michael Heagney, $51).
Formerly from France, jockey Pierre Boudvillain is establishing a successful relationship with Canberra trainer John Rolfe and they had a winning double at Cowra, Rangatira ($4.20) in the 1375 metres Thank You Barrier Attendants Class One Handicap and Arctic Desert $6) in the 1200 metres Signs R Us Maiden Plate.
Wrapping up a good day’s racing at Cowra, 4kg calming apprentice Jade McKenzie had the Aaron Clarke, Braidwood trained Artist Bee ($15) handy to the lead before beating Gutsy (Olivia Chambers, $8.50) and Kissing Supido (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $17) in the 950 metres Alf Rose Appreciation Of Cowra Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Raced - Dubbo, Friday, March 8
Without any family involvement in racing and only minimal contact with horses until three years ago, Shannen Llewellyn (22) has come a long way in a short time to ride her first winner on Friday, March 8 at Dubbo.
“Me and my older sister Lakisha had an obsession with and love of horses and although we collected stacks of figurines, stuffed toys and photos we did not have a real horse,” Shannen revealed.
Reared at Lismore, Shannen moved to the Central Coast when 13 and at age 19 purchased her first horse.
Around that time she started work at the Wyong Creek property where Tim Boland specialised in pre-training racehorses with the major client being leading trainer Chris Waller.
While carrying out stable hand duties, Shannen occasionally helped care for champion sprinter and 2021 Everest winner Nature Strip.
Next step in the learning process was a stint with Wyong trainer Kim Waugh before moving to Dubbo and an eventual apprenticeship with trainer Brett ‘Snow’ Robb.
An outstanding horseman who was taught his craft by his father the legendary Nyngan trainer Rodney Robb, Brett Robb was quick off the mark when giving instructions to the new arrival .
“ I had only previously ridden a bit of slow work but the second day after I arrived in Dubbo I was asked to work a horse at full gallop”, Shannen recalled.
“ May as well sink or swim at the earliest opportunity,” said Brett Robb.
For an apprentice to commence riding in races, at least 30 official barrier trials have to be completed successfully under intense scrutiny by stipendiary stewards.
Trainers will often choose horses that are front runners and easy to ride, for their apprentices to handle in barrier trials.
Not so Brett Robb who reasoned an apprentice would learn more by being back in the field and needing to make decisions finding runs through a pack.
The same reasoning applied when Brett Robb after discussions with his apprentice, instead of putting Shannen Llewellyn on one of his good front running sprinters chose a $10 outsider, four- year-old gelding Platinum Warrior for her race riding debut in a 1400 metres Maiden Handicap at Dubbo in mid-February.
Placed in a nice position behind the leaders, Platinum Warrior finished not far from the placegetters and with Shannen again the rider ran second after racing in the lead the following start at Dubbo.
For her sixth race ride, Shannen was given the opportunity by local trainer Dar Lunn to ride the well performed Elson Boy at Dubbo in the 1300 metres Westside Cellars Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap.
This appeared a daunting task for the relatively inexperienced apprentice as Elson Boy was starting from a very wide barrier against a reasonably good quality field of 14 runners.
Despite an outside draw, Dar Lunn, a former successful jockey, instructed Shannen Llewellyn to try and lead and expressed his confidence in the apprentice.
Alert at the start, Shannen had Elson Boy quickly away and crossing from out wide to the early lead.
In front when heads turned for home, Elson Boy ($5 to $4.40 favourite) had several rivals in hot pursuit but held on strongly under Shannen Llewellyn to win by almost two lengths from Capital Gamble (Braith Nock, $10) and Owhata Crumpet (Chelsea Hillier, $10).
After dismounting, Shannen Llewellyn expressed her gratitude to trainer Dar Lunn and the owners Guy Mitchell (Binnaway) and Rob Pratten (Dubbo) for the opportunity and also her gratitude to Brett Robb for his invaluable advice and support since becoming apprenticed to the master horseman.
