Tall jockey Corey Sutherland is still on cloud nine after his first city win last Saturday

“It’s pretty surreal”, apprentice Corey Sutherland was walking tall after bettering some of Australia’s top jockeys to jag his first city winner at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Corey Sutherland steers gelding He's Heaven to the jockey’s first metro victory in a Benchmark 85 race over 1200m at Eagle Farm last Saturday. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

One of the tallest jockeys in Australian horse racing, apprentice Corey Sutherland’s first metropolitan victory on Tattersall’s Tiara Day at Eagle Farm on Saturday is still sinking in for the hardworking 21-year-old.

The 181cm Sutherland named fellow tall hoops Jimmy Orman and Jamie Mott as his idols when growing up and he aims to utilise his claiming advantage in the months ahead after his impressive performance on the big stage last Saturday.

Sutherland was still floating on cloud nine on a rare Sunday off after riding the Desleigh Forster-trained five-year-old gelding He’s Heaven to victory in a Benchmark 85 Handicap (1200m), getting the better of top Sydney jockeys Tim Clark and Jason Collett.

“It’s a bit of a weight off my shoulders to get that first metro win,” said the well-mannered Sutherland, who only received his metropolitan jockey’s licence two weeks ago.

“It didn’t really hit me until I was driving home and started thinking about it.

“My first time at Eagle Farm on a Saturday on Tatt’s Tiara day, a Group 1 day, it’s pretty special.

“It was pretty surreal when I got on He’s Heaven, it’s just a different atmosphere. It’s like going from junior football to playing in the NRL.”

He's Heaven alright!

Corey Sutherland didn't let the rest get near him in the second at Eagle Farm🥇@Desracing74pic.twitter.com/Z3OEWaB5wK

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) June 28, 2025

Sunshine Coast resident Sutherland hasn’t let his height hinder his ability to progress as a jockey since leaving school at age 15.

British rider Jack Andrews (193cm) is considered to be the tallest jockey in the world, according to several reports in the UK while Sutherland stands at the same height as NSW-based apprentice Ben Osmond.

“I’m about 181cm or just under six foot,” Sutherland said.

“Jimmy Orman is just below me and Jamie Mott is a tall jockey as well.

“Early on when you first start everyone’s got their opinion and they all say ‘you’re too tall, you’ll get too heavy’ but it’s just how hard you work and how much you want it.

“I rode the last eight days between Toowoomba to Ipswich and Mackay to Dalby and finished the week off at Eagle Farm.

“For five of those days I rode at 55.5kg and it wasn’t too much of a problem. I ride anything between 10 and 14 horses at trackwork in the morning.

“I work hard and I can still live a normal life. It’s not a big deal to walk around at about 56kg during the winter time.”

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Sutherland has ridden 296 times in the country and had just nine metro races for 47 career wins.

He said it was surreal sitting in the jockeys’ room on Saturday at Eagle Farm alongside stars such as James McDonald, Tommy Berry, Kerrin McEvoy, Collett and Clark.

“Timmy Clark was the first person to say to me ‘good job’ after I won and we pulled up which is pretty insane coming from him,” Sutherland said.

“You look up to these types of jockeys because they’ve won that many Group 1s and they’re big-day riders and you’re riding against them, it’s pretty surreal.”

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The Ipswich-born Sutherland did much of his schooling in Tamworth before moving back to Lowood near Gatton when his mum Lisa’s mother became ill.

He performed on the rodeo circuit until the Covid pandemic hit and then worked as a trackwork rider and stablehand under country NSW trainer Brett Cavanough in Scone and later with his uncle Trevor in Wagga Wagga.

Sutherland started his racing career in Tamworth for Cody Morgan, riding his first winner Talbragar in March, 2023.

Ironically, Talbragar is owned by Corumbene Stud, which bred and race Saturday’s Tattersall’s Tiara champion Tashi, trained by Peter Snowden.

Since moving back to Queensland, Sutherland has worked for a variety of trainers, including his dad Steve, Forster, Kelly Schweida, Billy Healey and Natalie McCall.

Originally published as Tall jockey Corey Sutherland is still on cloud nine after his first city win last Saturday