Female jockeys dominate Brisbane as Chris Munce looks to prime Tahlia Fenlon for the big time
Female jockeys have ridden 12 of the last 20 winners in town on a Saturday in Queensland and Chris Munce expects that dominance to continue.
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Female jockeys have been the dominant force in Brisbane racing of late and champion jockey-turned-trainer Chris Munce says they are here to stay as he looks to prepare his new stable apprentice for the big time.
Rockhampton product Tahlia Fenlon has been part of the wave of female jockeys in town who have ridden 12 of the last 20 Saturday metropolitan winners, with Munce saying the run is evidence of jockeys taking every opportunity they get.
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While young gun Cejay Graham is streaking ahead in the apprentice title and former champion apprentice Angela Jones is enjoying a strong year as a senior rider, Munce said the presence of Sam Collett has had a big effect on her fellow female jockeys.
“They are getting plenty of opportunities and they are making the most of it,” Munce said.
“Sam is the oldest one and she is riding winners, she is a good one for the younger girls to have in the room, they have someone there to talk to and she helps them out where she can, she is a very good asset for racing up here.”
Fenlon is unlikely to win an apprentice title due to coming to town halfway through the season, but Munce said it was a vital part of her development after being a dominant force in the north.
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“There was a temptation to hold her back in town for the next season, but what we found was because she had been up in Rocky for so long, she had no claim in the provincials and she wasn’t getting the opportunities she should have,” Munce said.
“That was the reason we went with bringing her into town, plus I was able to support her a bit better in town then I could in the country and provincial areas.
It hasn’t been a bad move anyway.
“She has the basics to be a very good jockey but she has to keep on improving, which I think she will.”
Fenlon, 20, is in Brisbane to stay after originally coming down on loan, with Munce saying she is primed to make her presence felt with five rides at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
“She is a lovely kid, she came down from the north and in all honesty, she was pretty raw,” he said.
“She was a bit lost when she first got here, for the first month I suppose a bit homesick.
“Even with her riding, there were a few things we had to tidy up, which she has done.
“The best thing about her is that she is prepared to learn, to listen and she works very, very hard, she is getting the results for it now.”
Originally published as Female jockeys dominate Brisbane as Chris Munce looks to prime Tahlia Fenlon for the big time
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