Girls claim Australian first at Rocky

Shayla Evans, Carly-Mae Pye, Alisha Taylor and Trinity Bannon enter the record books (Darcy Digby photo)

Queensland Racing historians have scoured the records and confirmed to the best of their knowledge an Australian first at the Rockhampton Sand Track on Tuesday, January 19.

Female jockeys rode the entire seven race card, a first at a TAB meeting in our nation’s proud racing history.

The jockeys to pull off the feat were apprentice Alisha Taylor with three winners (County Sheriff, Fire Hazzard, Malicious Gal), apprentice Carly-Mae Pye with two winners (Ima Cool Dude, Run the Rapids), and one apiece to Trinity Bannon (In Bold Fashion) and Shayla Evans (Hezaburraboy).

In recent years female jockeys have ridden the card on an increased basis in country race meetings, so it was only a matter of when, not if, it would occur at a TAB meeting.

Even less surprising is the fact it happened in Queensland. Our state is blessed with a brilliant crop of female jockeys coming through the ranks, not just at provincial and country tracks, but on the metropolitan scene also.

The fact these four jockeys and the Rockhampton Jockey Club have entered the record books is a tribute to Queensland racing’s ever-evolving attitude to the thoroughbred racing industry and the pioneering female jockeys of the past.

The first time women rode the card in Queensland was at Wondai in March 1990 when Monica Ryan rode four winners, and Jo Downes, Debbie Osborne and Jenny Cochrane picked up one each.

This was preceded by the first all ladies jockey raceday at Mount Isa on July 31, 1976. The winners were Pam O’Neill (Ocean Spray), Vera Turgeon (Ima Paddy, Sham) and Gail Lowe (Noble Light).

However, these meetings were non-TAB fixtures and the girls of 2010 did it far from easy in their seven race epic overcoming wide barriers, missed starts, running wide of the rails, and maiden winners to name but a few hurdles.

Alisha and Garnett Taylor teamed-up for the Bowen Cup, another highlight in the jockey’s career (Bowen Independent)

Taylor, the youngest of the quartet at 18-years-old, had a field day pulling off her Rockhampton hat trick early, riding to victory in races two, three and four and backed up the haul with a third in race seven from a mere five rides.

“I’ve ridden quite a few trebles, but yesterday rates very highly,” Taylor said.

“We were just hoping in the last race that we were going to get it, and Carly-Mae Pye got it for us. It’s a big achievement for the girls. It’s pretty exciting really.”

Indentured to her Rockhampton-based trainer and father, Garnett Taylor, Taylor junior has enjoyed a meteoric rise since beginning her apprenticeship in August 2008.

She classes the Bowen Cup win of last year, aboard Otto’s Delight for her father, as her best achievement to date and the Taylor family is obviously tight-knit having a strong influence on the jockey’s chosen career path.

“My brother, Clinton Taylor, he was a jockey too and my dad trained racehorses so I just took it on,” Taylor said. “I started riding and my weight was good so that’s where I decided this is what I want to be at a pretty young age.”

Currently holding a 13 per cent career win rate after eclipsing a half century of victories from 392 rides, the softly spoken Taylor has a foreseeable goal to ride in metropolitan class meetings.

“I’d certainly like to be riding in Brisbane or another metropolitan area,” she said.

“I’ve mostly been riding in the Rockhampton-Mackay area and I’m going to start riding down the Gold Coast way soon.

“I’ll be riding in Toowoomba this weekend. I’ll see how I go in my two rides at Toowoomba for Phillip Pengelly and start heading forward from there.”

Taylor’s determination to forge a career and achieve highly as a jockey is obvious after speaking with her father, despite his apprehension in seeing his daughter compete in one of the most dangerous and taxing professions on earth.

“She’s a hard worker,” said Garnett. “To get out of bed at 1:30am and be at the track by 2am every morning, she’s never complained. She rides upwards of 10 to 20 horses at trackwork.

“I hope she doesn’t make a career out of it in a way. It wasn’t my choice. I didn’t want her to be a jockey, but I lit a few fires possibly.

“She’s had her heart set on it, and what can you do when she’s been brought up with them. I tried to encourage her to be a vet really, but she must be the boss.”

There has been plenty of opportunity lately to talk with female stakeholders in the thoroughbred industry with the success of trainers Gillian Heinrich, Maryann Thexton and Helen Page, and jockeys Kristy Banks, Kelly Purdy and now the ‘Rockhampton four’.

Each are reading from the same book, stating that the previously male-dominated industry is certainly no longer the case.

Taylor echoes their statements from a northern Queensland perspective. “I think it’s all pretty equal really. The trainers put certain people on and everyone gives you a fair go. You just try and enjoy it then.

“Obviously Dad has helped me heaps, but most of the trainers are pretty good. I’ve been getting plenty of rides.

“The Brisbane jockeys haven’t been coming up for most of these meetings, but when they did at Yeppoon I was getting a full book still.”

To boldly attempt to even the ledger, male trainers swept the card in Rockhampton also. However sorry lads, Tuesday, January 19, 2010 on the Rockhampton Sand Track will go down as a true ladies day.

If anyone can point us to records that say the card at a TAB race meeting has been previously ridden by female jockeys we will happily relinquish the record.

But be assured, until this occurs Queensland racing and more importantly Alisha Taylor, Carly-Mae Pye, Trinity Bannon and Shayla Evans will claim this significant achievement.

QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Ross Dowd – January 20