3 minute read

Raquel Clark has been chomping at the bit since she knew her number has come up for the gig all fellow apprentice jockeys in the Adelaide locker room look forward to every year - Singapore.

The Dux of the South Australian Apprentice Academy gets the chance to ride at Kranji for a few meetings as part of an understanding between Thoroughbred Racing South Australia and the Singapore Turf Club in the last 11 years. 

Around the same time last year, Irish-born but Adelaide-based Emily Finnegan took her turn, kicking home one winner aboard Gol Goal for trainer Shane Baertschiger, the designated master for those visiting apprentices in the last six years. The Australian handler, who just captured his first Group 1 race with Aramco in the Lion City Cup (1200m) on Saturday, will take Clark under his wing for the next three weeks (May 27 to June 17 is the licensing period). 

Born in Tasmania but indentured to trainers Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas in Adelaide, Clark arrived in Singapore on Sunday, slightly over a month after she was told by Thoroughbred Racing South Australia she could pack her bags for the dream trip. 

It was her first time riding overseas (crossing the Bass Strait doesn’t count!) but she was also excited with the challenge of equalling, if not bettering her peers (nine other Duxes have been to Kranji before, with Hong Kong’s Matthew Poon – by far and away the biggest hit - Jake Toeroek and Jamie Kah the standouts). 

“I’m really excited to be here. It’s all about the experience of riding against different jockeys and on a different track - I think it’ll help me read a race better,” said Clark. 

“I’ve already met Shane and some other trainers, but didn’t know anyone of them before, but I do know (jockey) Daniel Moor as he rode in Adelaide a fair bit. 

“It’s a really lovely track. I started trackwork on Monday and have ridden on the Polytrack and Track 6 only so far. 

“Today, I had my first trial ride (on Nova Factor for James Peters) and have ridden about four horses in trackwork, just like yesterday.” 

The 25-year-old rider may have only been in the game for four years, but she is no greenhorn who would baulk if tossed over a bucking bronco. 

“I started with rodeo. My brother Dylan, who’s now a trainer in Tasmania, was breaking in young horses and needed a bit of help one day,” she said. 

“I put my hand up and that’s how it all started.” 

A winner of over 300 races – featuring the Listed Birthday Cup (2040m) aboard Wasabi Bob at Morphettville on February 16, 2019 as her career highlight thus far - since her first winner in Spreyton, Tasmania (where she rode for two years) in 2015, Clark sure has been a quick learner. 

It showed in the way the sharp observer has kept her eyes peeled, even though she has been at her new office for only two days. 

“There are quite a lot of differences between here and what I’m used to back home,” said Clark. 

“I don’t hear any noise when I’m riding here whereas back home you can hear the thundering of the hooves. 

“Here you weigh in at the trials, which is new to me. And you guys do a lot of walking at trackwork. 

“It’s a lot more relaxed than I thought it would be. In Australia, I jump on and off about 10 to 15 horses, it’s always on the go. 

“And the weather here - you sweat buckets, and the place is also so much prettier with so many trees, it’s like a jungle – no gum trees!” 

Clark might not be a fan of the ubiquitous Australian tree, but she left Adelaide on top of the tree on the South Australian logs – by a country mile for the state premiership (123 wins versus Todd Pannell’s 86), but just marginally on the Metropolitan log (42 versus Kah’s 41). 

She, however, didn’t get the best of send-offs at her last meeting before she took the plane, but she certainly hopes to quickly bounce back on the scoreboard at her new workplace in the next three weeks. 

“It rained at my last meeting in Morphettville. None of my horses liked wet tracks and I didn’t ride a winner,” said Clark. 

“I can’t wait for my first meeting this weekend. I don’t know their names but I know I’ve got two rides on Friday and five rides on Saturday. 

“It’s a good spread of trainers, not just for Shane. I have a few for Stephen Gray and Steven Burridge as well.” 

Scott Bailey, Baertschiger’s assistant-trainer, has as usual been a hard-working rider’s agent to those Adelaide apprentices. 

“We’ve put Raquel on Solaris Spectrum for Saturday. Last year, Emily rode him, too, as he’s a very adaptable horse, he seems to run for those young riders,” said Bailey, himself a former jockey from Adelaide. 

“We’ve also put her on Bringer Of War, who seems to have lost his two-year-old form, though. Then, I know she’s also on Mach for Burridge on Friday, Blue Chip and Libeccio for Gray on Saturday. 

“It’s a great book of rides for a first week. They usually don’t get as many at their first week, but Raquel came in early on Sunday, and she rode trackwork the next day, so that probably helped.”