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As a young apprentice continued to have a “picnic” in May, Hawkesbury’s newest trainer made a dream start to his career.

Apprentice Chelsea Ings won the Brewarrina Cup on Saturday, her second trophy success and sixth winner overall this month, whilst Brad Widdup scored at Canberra on Friday with the very first horse he saddled under his own name.

It has truly been a remarkable May for 22-year-old Ings who is apprenticed to her mother Wanda.

Her victory on seven-year-old Friendsinlowplaces ($5) in yesterday Brewarrina Cup (1200m) – run as a Benchmark 63 Handicap – was the 19th winner of her career. And six of them have come this month.

Friendsinlowplaces, trained at Parkes by George Wright, has been competing on the picnic circuit. He was beaten at his previous two starts, the latest when second at Bedgerebong (under 67.5kg) over 800m on April 29. He carried 9.5kg less yesterday.

Ings won a double (including the Cup) at the non-TAB meeting at Cobar on May 6, then eight days later landed her first double at a TAB meeting, at Dubbo.

Her fifth winner in May came up at Bathurst last Thursday when successful on Destiny’s Joker.

This has been clearly Ings’ most successful season to date – and there are still two more months remaining.

She is on the road again today, with bookings for Nanpop, Dark Mojo and Johnny Roo Boy at the Dubbo TAB meeting.

Meanwhile, Widdup could not have wished for a better beginning to his training career.

He took youngster Junglized (Christian Reith) to Canberra to saddle his first runner last Friday on the Acton track.

The $2 favorite was never troubled, and easily won the 2YO Handicap (1080m).

Understandably, he was thrilled his breakthrough winner was for prominent owner Damion Flower (Jadeskye Racing), who convinced him to take over his Platinum Park training establishment at Hawkesbury.

Widdup has had extensive experience, working for the likes of leading trainers such as Peter Snowden and John O’Shea for many years, before recently deciding to branch out on his own.

Whilst he will train for Flower, he will also take “outside” horses into his Hawkesbury set-up.