Schweida finds fast Lane to victory with Miss Joelene in The Wave at the Sunshine Coast

On a day when Kelly Schweida lost leading jockeys Craig Williams, Tommy Berry, Nash Rawiller and Jimmy Orman from his horses, he found a willing ally in the form of Damian Lane at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday night.

Trainer Kelly Schweida had some setbacks finding a jockey, but he still got the win in The Wave with Miss Joelene and Damian Lane. Pictures: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography

On a day when Kelly Schweida lost leading jockeys Craig Williams, Tommy Berry, Nash Rawiller and Jimmy Orman from his horses, he found a willing ally in the form of Damian Lane at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday night.

With jockeys going down like flies and Miss Joelene trapped out in the cheap seats during the running of The Wave, Schweida was ready for a stiff drink.

It was his mare Miss Joelene who was able to turn his fortunes around, however, when she knuckled down to hold off a late charge from Encoder, who slipped up the inside rail.

“I have had three jockeys go down today alone, Tommy Berry was on this girl and he ruled himself out this morning, then Nash was meant to be on Deep Respect and Craig Williams was on El Morzillo (in the Sunlight),” Schweida said.

“It was looking like one of those days, if this girl got beaten a head, I think I would have gone home and had a stiff drink.”

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Owned by prominent Brisbane businessman Darren Wilson, Miss Joelene normally would have had Orman in the saddle but he finds himself on the sidelines after a horse bit off the tip of his finger at trackwork last month.

“Jimmy Orman would have been on him, so it is a real pity for him,” Schweida said.

“I thought we were in trouble when we were three deep.

“Damian wanted to go forward, I said let's go back, then he was three wide and I thought ‘here we go’.”

Miss Joelene toughs it out wide to win The TAB Wave! 🌊@LaneDamian@schweidaracing@[e-mail]/dRvJMYGu7V

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 4, 2025

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It came as Stuart Kendrick counted himself lucky with his million dollar baby Redford when he was able to knock off hot favourite Moravia in the 3YO & 4YO Rising Stars (1300m) after a perfect ride from Kyle Wilson-Taylor.

While the last minute switch from the Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast created headaches for many participants, it was a blessing for Kendrick, who is the leading trainer on the track.

Instead of a three-hour float journey to the Sunshine Coast, Kendrick simply had to walk down the road to collect the winners cheque in the $250,000 contest.

It's the local trained Redford going past the favourite to win the 5th at the @SCTurfClub at double figure odds! 💰@kendrickracing1pic.twitter.com/Zb1jpJDpxb

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 4, 2025

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“I did a bit of a jig last night when I found out the races were moved here,” Kendrick laughed after the driving finish.

“We dropped out bundle a bit when we saw the barrier (12), but it was a great ride by Kyle, he rode him perfectly.

“It’s a great result for Aquis, they have given us some really nice horses and this guy is one of them.”

Originally published as Schweida finds fast Lane to victory with Miss Joelene in The Wave at the Sunshine Coast