It was a day of firsts for Toowoomba apprentice Brooke Richardson and trainer Deborah Handford at Doomben on Wednesday.
Richardson landed her first city winner aboard the Tony Gollan-trained Tiyatro in the Racing Retro Maiden Plate (1350m) while Bold Option provided Handford with her first city winner and only the second of her career in the IPCQ Maiden Handicap (1040m).
Bold Option’s victory proved a real family affair as the filly was ridden by Michael Hellyer, the son-in-law of Handford’s partner Col Parker, and was strapped by Hellyer’s wife Linda.
“I bought this filly for only $1800 at the Brisbane Bloodstock sale in Toowoomba and she’s my first city winner since I took up training last year,” Handford said.
“I’ve been involved with horses for 10 years. I’ve never outgrown them – it’s a terrible disease.
“I’ve been so close and yet so far with this filly I decided to drop her back in distance and it paid off.
“To get my second winner and my first in town with her is like a dream come true.”
Richardson’s first city win aboard Tiyatro was only a matter of time going on her pedigree.
The 17-year-old is a daughter of Toowoomba trainer Brendan Richardson while her grandfather Clem Pollard also trains in Toowoomba.
Richardson began her apprenticeship with Pollard before going on loan for three months to Todd Austin at Barcaldine in central Queensland.
She is now back working for her father in Toowoomba.
After spending her formative years riding at pony clubs and doing camp drafting, Richardson only gained her jockeys’ licence 16 months ago and had ridden 72 winners on Queensland’s country and provincial circuits before her city breakthrough.
Tiyatro ($3.30 eq fav) came from last on the home turn to end a string of six successive placings with a 1-3/4-length win over Oh Sunday ($10).
With her good friend Priscilla Schmidt sidelined for four months with a broken leg, Richardson hopes to capitalise on her three-kilogram claim in town.
“I want to come to Brisbane to ride permanently one day and I want to go to the very top,” Richardson said.
“Eventually I’d love to move to Sydney or Melbourne to ride.”
Richardson doesn’t model herself on any particular rider but admits to being a huge fan of Sydney’s Corey Brown and Hugh Bowman while she admires her female counterparts Clare Lindop and Kathy O’Hara.
“I study all their rides but I’ve developed my own style,” she said.
Gollan believes Richardson has a bright future and didn’t tie her down with any specific instructions on Tiyatro.
“Brooke is very promising and I didn’t instruct her to ride Tiyatro that way,” Gollan said.
“She was as eager to win on my mare as I was for Tiyatro to win.”
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