Stephanie Tierney makes dream start after relaunching her riding career at age 39

Queensland-based Kiwi jockey Stephanie Tierney reveals why she decided to take the bold step of becoming an apprentice in her late 30s.

If it’s true that life begins at 40, then the future looks bright for apprentice jockey Stephanie Tierney.

The Kiwi hoop had a dream start to her first day as an official rider in Australia last weekend, winning a double on the Bundaberg dirt track on Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Kendrick’s gallopers Hot Flamingo and Maximum Output.

Not many jockeys start their apprenticeship at age 39 but former dairy farmer Tierney realises that life is too short for regrets and she is willing to take the calculated gamble in pursuit of her dream.

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“It was a bit of a hold up getting through the apprenticeship stage because I had to go back and do all the courses again,” said Tierney, who also finished runner-up to Villaden in the Bundaberg Cup (1380m) on the Kendrick-trained Under The Cap last Saturday.

“But in hindsight it’s done me the world of good because I’ve had to knuckle down and get serious about it.

“It is a lot harder on the body when you’re older but I ride a lot of serious trackwork and hard horses most of the time and I’ve got a good base fitness there.

“I put 100 per cent into my trackwork, as I would race day, so that wasn’t too much of a big step.

“For me it was more about getting back into that race-day saddle and getting used to that feeling because I was a little like a flapping flamingo, no pun intended.

“It was good to get that first day out of the way and realise it wasn’t as scary as I thought it’d be.”

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Tierney worked as a dairy farmer in her native New Zealand until age 20 when she moved to Western Australia, where she learned to ride for trainer Warwick Bradshaw in Bunbury.

She rode several winners on the amateur circuit in WA before returning to New Zealand in 2010 for family reasons, working alongside her partner in a pre-training business and gaining her licence as a trainer.

Stephanie Tierney riding gelding Economics for trainer Stuart Kendrick.

The couple ended up in Scone, NSW in 2022 but their hopes of reopening the business never eventuated and they travelled north to Queensland.

After an amicable relationship split and then the tragic death of her 21-year-old nephew early last year, Tierney felt lost before finding her calling at Kendrick’s stables on the Sunshine Coast.

The idea to become an apprentice jockey in her late thirties was sparked after riding trackwork on four-year-old gelding Defiant Spirit early last year.

“It was definitely the moment where I said ‘yep, I’m going to do this’,” she recalled.

“I had ridden a lot of jumpouts for Stuart and he was encouraging me to do more.

“I was quite proud that Stuart trusted me with the horse. I had a ball that day and couldn’t believe that I was given the privilege to sit on that calibre of horse.”

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Tierney is back working at the stable while Kendrick takes a break but she is keen to resume race riding when her boss returns.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself or the stable,” she said.

“I just want to make sure everything’s running smoothly here and we hold the fort down OK while Stuart enjoys a holiday with his family.

“I do have long-term goals but I want to keep them close to my chest. I’d love to keep riding and get as far as I can.

“I think I’ve got another 10 years left in me. I want to make the most of it. It’s just surreal to be on the other side of the fence.”

Originally published as Stephanie Tierney makes dream start after relaunching her riding career at age 39