At Witz End wins Eye Liner Stakes for Cejay Graham replacing Sam Collett who fell in an earlier race

Young apprentice jockey Cejay Graham’s thoughts turned straight to fellow female hoop Sam Collett after At Witz End stormed to victory in the Eye Liner Stakes.

At Witz End drives clear to win the Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich on Saturday Picture: Grant Peters

“Poor Sam.”

They were the first words that classy young apprentice jockey Cejay Graham uttered as she dismounted from her Eye Liner Stakes winner At Witz End.

Graham was thinking of fellow female rider Sam Collett who had been meant to ride the Eye Liner winner before plunging off a horse in an earlier race at Ipswich.

Collett escaped serious injury, taken to hospital complaining of a sore arm.

But that didn’t stop Graham, who is leading the Brisbane apprentice jockey title this season by as far as you could kick your hat, from thinking of her fellow rider.

Graham has got a long injury list herself and knows what it is like to be on the sidelines with injury when she should be riding winners.

“Poor Sam,” Graham said, as she dismounted from the Daniel Bowen-trained winner of the $200,000 Eye Liner.

“Sam was the first thing I thought of when I went over the line.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to win this race but my heart hurts for Sam and it’s making me emotional just talking about it.

“I know what it is like to be out injured and this win is for Sam.

An emotional @CejayGraham1 paid tribute to injured jockey Sam Collett who she replaced on At Witz End in the Listed Eye Liner Stakes ❤️@[e-mail]/ikC05fkfAL

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 22, 2024

“The hardest part when you are injured is everything keeps on going and you have got to sit back and watch horses win without you.

“But she’s going to be back in no time and we can’t wait to have her back.”

While the Graham/Collett story was a strong part of the Eye Liner theme, so too was the winner which has been one of the giant killers of the Queensland winter carnival.

Bowen, who trains in Lismore, was delighted to score the Listed ATC Cup with eight-year-old At Witz End on the Sunshine Coast towards the start of the carnival in early May.

But he was even more emotional when his sprinter claimed the Eye Liner Stakes after being backed from $15 into $10.

Bowen would love to get At Witz End to the $2m The Kosciuszko, the world’s richest race for country-trained horses, which will be staged in Sydney later this year.

“He’s never drawn a gate and that was the case again today,” Bowen said.

“He came out slow and was stuck three-wide, and I thought here we go again.

“I didn’t think he could keep going but he loomed up in the straight, and for the first time I thought he was going to win.

“He’s just an amazing horse, but I’m just sad that Sam couldn’t ride him today.

“It’s great for Cejay though and I’m just so happy for the horse.”

Originally published as At Witz End wins Eye Liner Stakes for Cejay Graham replacing Sam Collett who fell in an earlier race