APPRENTICE Louise Day will head to her adopted track on Tuesday for the final meeting of the season already feeling a winner.
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![WINNING SMILE: Irish apprentice Louise Day is loving life in Newcastle after making the move in late 2016 from Victoria. Picture: Manning River Times WINNING SMILE: Irish apprentice Louise Day is loving life in Newcastle after making the move in late 2016 from Victoria. Picture: Manning River Times](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ChN2GeGbsrYvYqhWaZEXS7/14cbf47d-6f03-45c6-8a6c-d5fad8e35269.jpg/r0_20_1500_823_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The 23-year-old from Ireland started this campaign, her first full season as a race jockey in Australia, aiming for 30 winners.
Day, who has four rides at the Cessnock meeting which has been transferred to Newcastle, sits on 38 victories for 2017-18 with a solid winning strike rate of 10.67 per cent.
“I just wanted to get 30 for the year, so I’m happy,” Day said. “It’s been really, really good. I’ve just gradually built momentum.”
Day came to Australia three years ago to chase her dream and started by working at the Caulfield stables of Ciaron Maher. However, she was unable to attend Victorian apprenticeship school, and in turn ride in races, because she was not a resident, prompting a move to Kris Lees’ stables at Newcastle from November 2016.
Visa issues meant she could ride only for Lees for part of 2016-17 but she made an instant impression, snaring 10 winners from 37 rides. This season Day has made up for lost time and she will cap it off at Newcastle with rides on Gone Viral (race three) for Tanya Randell, Penny Dreadful (four) for Jason Deamer, Superb Time (five) for Greg McFarlane and African Guy (seven) for her boss.
“Gone Viral, I’ve ridden it twice and he’s definitely going well,” she said. “We were unlucky the other day so I think he’ll have an improved performance.
“Penny Dreadful is first-up and should go well. Superb Time is a first starter. I trialled it and I think he’ll go OK and learn from the run. African Guy didn’t draw great but he’s going really well. He put it together last start so I think he can go on with it.”
Day is staying at the former Lees family home on course at Newcastle and was thankful for the chance with the region’s premier stable.
“I just wanted to ride over here,” she said of coming to Australia. “I thought girls get a really good go here so it was always the place to go. I had a couple of rides but it was just never really going to happen for me in England.
“[Sydney apprenticeship champion] Rachel King was riding in England just before I was and to see her doing so well here is great. It’s great motivation, to see how far she’s come.”
“I think time’s are changing, there’s so many more girls coming through. The next few years are going to look very different I think.”
She grew up riding horses at home and “caught the bug” when neighbours built racing stables.
“I couldn’t be happier,” she said.
“And I suppose it’s just all about kicking home winners when ever you can and keep your name up there.
“I love it in Newcastle. It’s a beautiful city, with the beach in the summer, and the weather is great. I’m very happy.
“I’ve been home once since I’ve been out here and it just reminded me of why I left,” she laughed. “I’m so happy to be out here.”