3 minute read

Hard work and persistence has paid off for apprentice jockey Lizzie Annells, who has gained approval to ride at metropolitan grade race meetings from Saturday.

The 24-year-old has three rides lined up for the Morphettville Parks meeting and joins fellow apprentice Angus Chung in making the step-up this week to metropolitan level.

"I'm really excited. It took three applications to get it so it's taken a little while but I'm grateful that it has because I feel like I'm ready now," Annells said.

"I feel like the extra time has allowed me to mature as both a person and as a rider. I've been working at calming down and focusing on the task at hand, keeping professional and strengthening my style and technique as well.

"I'm trying not to let it get to me, to approach it as another day at the office, but I'm pretty excited."

Annells has a unique path to becoming an apprentice – originally training to be a farrier before making the switch to competitive riding. 

"I had a pony when I was growing up and when I left school I didn't want to go to university so I started a farrier course at TAFE," she said.

"That was really cool but about a year into that I didn't have the money to continue so I decided to transfer into the track riding course which was a fraction of the price."

The track riding course was being run by local jockey Desiree Stra who connected Annells with others in the industry and her riding career took off from there.

"A lot of people don't know about the farrier experience but it is handy – I have pulled off a lot of shoes," she said with a laugh.

"Gordon Richards was really the first person who gave me a go which I'm very grateful for. And all of the female jockeys have been unreal, they're all hugely supportive.

"There's so many sides to racing, you have the behind-the-scenes part which people don't see, working with the young horses and creating racehorses. Then you have the other end which is obviously the races and the competition and the crowd, it's good fun."

Annells' first ride on Saturday is on Sea Witness for her current boss Byron Cozamanis in race 4.

"I know the horse and he'll be my first ride of the day, so I think it's worked out perfectly," she said.

"It's a big step going to town but I don't want to change anything, just continue to improve. My aim for now is simply to be competitive, ride well and be up in those finishes."