“Back around February the idea of working in mines with my friend and not having to deal with all the stuff that comes with being a jockey sounded pretty good. So I almost got my truck drivers licence and moved.”
Newman is glad she didn’t as Saturday’s Rotorua Cup win on Poser, for trainer Kurtis Pertab, was the richest of her career and her third black-type success.
While better horses and an improved outlook has helped, jockeys on a losing streak will hold on to any glimmer of hope and for Newman that came in the form of a lucky bamboo plant gifted to her by trainer Ralph Manning.
“Ralph has been a great supporter of mine and when he saw I was struggling he bought me this lucky bamboo plant and, maybe it is a coincidence, but I have been riding more winners.
“I am so glad I didn’t give up and I am getting better rides for a wider variety of trainers and really importantly I am getting the horses out of the gates and putting them into the race and riding them where I want them to be.”
KIWIS STILL FLYING
The New Zealand juggernaut in Australia’s best three-year-old races shows no signs of slowing, with more Kiwi-bred horses winning serious races.
Kiwi-bred winners boosts the yearling and Ready To Run sales, but also private horse purchases — a crucial economic fuel for New Zealand breeders, owners and trainers.
Dunkel, bred by Sir Peter Vela, continued the trend when he won the A$500,000 South Australian Derby on Saturday while in Queensland it was Special Swey who won the Rough Habit Plate in his first start for new trainer Chris Waller after having been trained in New Zealand by Stephen Ralph.