Samantha Collett closes in on 1000 career winners

Champion jockey Samantha Collett says she has ‘no regrets’ on her decision to relocate from New Zealand to Queensland and has revealed her bold family-footsteps aim for the coming months.

Champion jockey Samantha Collett says she has ‘no regrets’ about her decision to relocate from New Zealand to Queensland and has stated her bold claim for the next four months.

The multiple Group 1-winning jockey made the decision to move to the Sunshine State in October, 2021 and quickly found her talents in demand.

Collett, who is managed by Cameron Partington alongside Mark Du Plessis and Jim Byrne, said her aim by the end of 2022 was to join her mother and father in riding 1000 career winners.

“My next big target is to ride 1000 winners before the end of the year,” she said.

“I’d obviously like to try and ride 100 winners in the season if I could but that first one is something I’d be very happy with if I can get it out of the way by the end of the year.”

Collett, who despite only joining the riding ranks in November, was able to take out the 2021/22 Ipswich Jockeys Premiership beating out Jimmy Orman by one win. Picture: Trackside Photography

Collett – who as of Tuesday, August 30 had 962 wins for the season – hails from one of New Zealand racing’s most respected racing families with her father Jim a former top-class rider and current trainer and her mother Trudy (Thornton) a current member of the senior northern riding ranks.

Her cousins Alysha and Jason Collett are top jockeys in the Sydney riding ranks and their parents Judy and Richard – who is now a Warwick Farm-based trainer – both also rode.

The 32-year-0ld said a permanent move back home was very unlikely.

“The move has gone pretty quickly actually, it took awhile for me to get my first winner out of the way, to get settled and that kind of thing but the support I’ve had so far has been really good and things are ticking along well,” she said.

“I’m fortunate that I enjoy my job, it makes it easier obviously that winning races and earning more money is definitely the aim but the riding in general, because the money is so much better here it’s already financially better for me to be here too.

“I haven't regretted it one bit, I’ve really enjoyed all the new people that I’ve met here, the change, the new challenges, it’s all been great and in terms of my riding career it will be here for a fair while.”

Originally published as Samantha Collett closes in on 1000 career winners