Latest News

By Greg Prichard

Mollie Fitzgerald came within a few centimetres of completing a complete knockout by women jockeys - mostly apprentices - when her mount Run Rory Run was grabbed right on the line in the last of seven races at Taree on Saturday.

The winning riders in the first five races had all been female apprentices - Teighan Worsnop, with a double, and Fitzgerald, Siena Grima and Emily Farr with singles - and then senior jockey Kacie Adams continued the domination in race six.

Mollie Fitzgerald returns after winning on Durusehvar at Taree. Image by Trackside Photography

Fitzgerald was on-board the $3.70 favourite and heavy-track specialist Run Rory Run - trained by her master, Tony Ball, at Taree - in the Sky International Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1300m.

And she rode the five-year-old gelding perfectly, sitting on the rail in third place behind the leader Tauty and then shooting through along the inside when Tauty rolled off the fence nearing the home turn.

Run Rory Run pinched a break at the top of the straight and Fitzgerald went for home on her. Things were looking good 200 metres out, but then Mosgiel Daisy, ridden by Ben Looker, emerged from the pack as the only challenger.

Mosgiel Daisy, a $4.60 chance, began cutting into Run Rory Run’s lead and in a driving finish the three-year-old filly, trained by Matthew Robinson at Taree, put her nose in front in the final stride to win.

It was a tremendously successful day for the female jockeys anyway, but how good would it have been had they been able to make it seven from seven!

There was a meeting at Newcastle on the same day which stretched the jockey resources and opened up opportunities for apprentices to get more rides at Taree.

Ball said the female apprentices were only getting what they deserved with the opportunities they had on Saturday.

“There’s no sentiment in racing, so the women riders wouldn’t be getting the rides unless they were good at what they do and they are,” he said.

“There are so many female apprentices riding on the Mid North Coast at the moment - I’ve never seen it like this. It’s the same in a lot of other areas as well.

“Run Rory Run ran super. I obviously would’ve loved to have seen him win, but Mollie couldn’t have ridden him any better. She listens and learns and has improved out of sight as a jockey over the last few months.”

Six female apprentices - Leanne Boyd and Courtney Bellamy were the others - rode at the Taree meeting in a great show of the quality of young women jockeys riding on the Mid North Coast.

Female trainers got among the winners as well, with Port Macquarie’s Margaret De Gonneville scoring with Golden Galaxy in the Stacks Law Firm Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1000m. De Gonneville with Adams for her win.

View the full results with race replays for Taree here