QUEENSLAND emerged with the top points after the first round of the National Apprentice Race Series in Launceston on Saturday night.
This year’s NARS will again feature some of the nation’s most promising apprentice riders and Saturday night’s offerings delivered the desired result for the series.
The two races that featured apprentices only were keen contests, but as they were full fields of 12 or more and with only six apprentices who represented their state or territory Tasracing needed to secure additional apprentices to make up numbers.
This meant that it may not have been the winner of the race who scored top points and that was the case in race six, a class one handicap over 1200 metres.
Hong Kong apprentice Gary Lo, who has been riding with success in South Australia, delivered a pearl of a ride to win aboard Pontypaul for Brighton trainer John Luttrell but it was Queensland’s Nathan Fazackerley who guided Knitting into fourth place to secure top points.
Victoria’s Mikaela Claridge partnered Geegees Cash Cow into fifth spot to earn her state five points while Tasmania’s Teagan Voorham picked up three points for being the third state rep home aboard Gee Gee Musicmaker that finished sixth.
Western Australia’s Shelby Colgate collected two points for finishing seventh on The Hussler while the Northern Territory’s Dan Morgan and Alice Lindsay from South Australia each picked up one point.
The next heat will be run at Ascot in Perth (WA) on Wednesday where Chris Graham will be representing Tasmania.
Points standing after heat one.
- 7 – Queensland.
- 5 – Victoria.
- 3 – Tasmania.
- 2 – Western Australia.
- 1 – South Australia and Northern Territory.