Rose Hammond achieved a career milestone at Flemington on Saturday, guiding Lake Vostok to a memorable victory in the RMBL Investments Rising Stars Final (1600m), a race exclusively for apprentice jockeys.
Despite not being in contention to win the overall Rising Stars series, Hammond had set her sights on claiming victory in the prestigious finale and was thrilled to register her first win at Flemington.
“I’ve been looking forward to this ride all week,” Hammond said post-race. “We had a really light weight which was to her benefit, especially late in the race.”
Partnering with the Luke Oliver-trained galloper, Hammond followed instructions perfectly, allowing Lake Vostok ($9) to relax early before storming home late to defeat Jazz Affair ($6.50) by half a length, with Cindy Falls ($7) a short-neck away in third.
“I went through her replays and found that when she was rushed early, she became a bit one-paced late,” Hammond explained. “With Luke’s instructions, I was happy to jump, let her settle, and let her hit the line. It worked out perfectly.”
The Rising Stars series is held across country Victoria throughout the racing season, culminating in this final event at Flemington. While Hammond didn’t accumulate enough points throughout the series to win, she ended on a high note and finished in a dead-heat for second place alongside Sarah Field, both just two points behind series winner Tom Prebble.
“It’s really exciting to have something like this for all the apprentices around,” Hammond said. “I wasn’t in the running with the rankings this year, but my goal was to win this race. I was lucky enough to get this ride, and hopefully I can keep the momentum going.”
Prebble, who had secured the series before Saturday’s final, endured a disappointing finish when trailing the field aboard the Chris Waller-trained Sound It Out. Still, he joined elite company as a Rising Stars series champion, with past winners including Group 1 jockeys Jye McNeil and Ethan Brown.
“I’m not happy finishing out of the points,” Prebble said. “But I’m very thankful for RMBL for putting on the series and to my masters Patrick and Michelle Payne for supporting me with good rides throughout.”
“Some of these other apprentices hadn’t ridden at Flemington before, so seeing them have their first experience here is pretty cool. Hopefully I can use this as a springboard in my career, and if I can be half as good as some of the names who’ve come through this, I’ll be happy.”
For more updates and markets on apprentice series races, visit justhorseracing.com.au.
