Shannen Llewellyn and Siena Grima are among the jockeys preparing to compete in the Gold Cup for the first time on Sunday.
The two apprentices have each recorded 76 career wins so far, with Llewellyn having had 500 starts while Grima has had 773.
Both apprentices said it was “a big occasion” to ride in the Gold Cup feature race, Llewellyn saying, “Not many apprentices get to ride in it so it was great to get the opportunity, for sure.”
Grima said, “I’m really grateful to get the opportunity this year.”
The Bendemeer-based Llewellyn is set to ride the Jane Clement-trained Macleay in the feature race at Riverside Racecourse, while the Tamworth-based Grima rides the Stephen Meyer-trained Danza In The Dark.
The most recent time Llewellyn rode Macleay was in the Tamworth Cup on April 24, with a last placing in a field of 11 before the same horse placed second in another field of 11 at Glen Innes on May 10 while the jockey was Yvette Lewis.
Llewellyn had one of her career highlights last Sunday when she rode three winners out of her five races at the Parkes Cup, including the feature race.
Llewellyn said it was “a big day” while she managed to make things work after drawing the mid to outside barriers.
On Tuesday, Llewellyn’s best placing was fourth as she rode in six of seven races on a Tamworth track rated a Heavy 8.
Grima also rode at Tamworth on Tuesday, and won race six by 0.3 of a length before placing second in race seven as she too competed in six races.
Llewellyn and Grima have had previous success at the Gunnedah-based racecourse, Grima saying “it’s a lovely place to ride” while the community and people who worked on the track were very welcoming and supportive.
Grima has ridden Danza In The Dark three times so far this year, with a tenth placing at Muswellbrook on March 28 followed by a third at Tamworth on April 24 and a seventh at Scone last Friday.
The third placing at Tamworth was notable considering Danza In The Dark had long odds with a starting price of $71, and was near the back for much of the 1200m race before finishing only 1.8 lengths behind the victor.
One of Grima’s career highlights was winning the Armidale Cup feature race while riding Ring Ahoy about five-and-a-half months ago. The Grima-ridden horse was also in or near last place for much of this race, before finishing strongly to grab victory by half a length.
With eight races likely on Sunday, it remains to be seen how many of them involve Grima and Llewellyn although Grima said she expected to ride in about six.
“I go through my form for each race, and then when it’s over I reset myself and get ready for the next race,” Grima said.
Grima said she also paid attention to other horses and trainers to see what she was up against.
