Apprentice Jackson Searle surrounded by women at Orange

The changing face of Australia racing beams forth with a smile today at Orange races.

For decades now we have seen girls with a desire to ride in races have to do so as the token only female in a field of aggressive men.

Sometimes 15, 16, 20 runners etc against her.

But inspire of that, they fought through, firstly getting those licenses to ride, then their own dressing rooms, and now enormous respect.

The likes of Jamie Kah, Rachel king, Kathy O’Hara, Lucy Warwick, Jenny Duggan, Alysha Collett, Mikayla Weir, Kayla Nisbett, Steph Thornton and Linda Meech among a cast of hundreds leaving their marks, today make it acceptable to put girls on.

They have proven, ride and ride again, that they not only belong but are superstars.

So, with that history lesson, we see today it all comes full circle.

Baby-faced apprentice Jackson Searle lines up in race 2 at Orange this afternoon in a field of 9 runners. He rides one of the outsiders in the race named Chloebella Rose.

And… he is the ONLY male in the field.

Jenny Duggan heads a cast of females which include: Julia Presits; Georgina McDonnell; Casey Waddell, Elissa Meredith; Molly Bourke, Ash Stanley and Zara Lewis.

The poor boy has no hope.

This is what is happening to the sport in Australia. Females are naturally lighter and with more and more junk food and processed foods dominating our diets it will only make the weight gap between male and female apprentices mainly, even wider.

Good luck to Jackson.

It would be daunting to look up to see all these beautiful, talented women against you, but just remember that Pam O’Neil, and later Kyla Stra, and the great Clare Lindop, along with Kiwis Linda Jones, Maree Lyndon all had to endure such isolation.

In later years Michelle Payne, Stacey Rawiller and Katelyn Mallyon carried the torch.

I can’t wait to watch this race today.