Racing
Kirra opens her account
At just her fifth race ride, apprentice jockey Kirra-Lee Lane registered her first winner in the opening race in Launceston on Sunday afternoon.
Kirra-Lee Lane partnered the Peter Luttrell-trained Zurich ($4-$9) to victory in a 1400m maiden, giving the mature-age apprentice a moment she will never forget."It's a bit of a thrill, honestly, I'm super excited. I was pretty thankful that Peter trusted me to ride this horse," an elated Lane said after the win.
Lane positioned Zurich outside the leader and race favourite Henley Extreme ($2) for the entirety of the race, and her 4kg claim made a difference in the run to the line, proving too good for the favourite with a length to spare.
Lane, 29, rode in over 100 trials prior to her debut in Devonport on 21 September, and has impressed with how she's ridden in her brief career to date.
"It's given me quite a bit of confidence doing so many trials before riding in races, and it's been great."
Sunday's program was originally scheduled for Friday night but was postponed due to high winds. The transfer forced a change of plans for Peter Luttrell, who had intended to be in Victoria with Distrustful Award, which ran an impressive sixth in the $200,000 Seymour Cup.
"Kirra has always helped me out at the trials, so it was great to give her a chance today, and he's an easy horse to ride, so it wasn't a problem putting her on," the trainer said.
Kirra-Lee Lane was the only apprentice jockey to ride a winner on the seven-race card, with riding honours shared between Erica Byrne Burke and Kelvin Sanderson, who both rode doubles.
Byrne Burke's two winners have taken her season tally to 13, one clear of Anthony Darmanin at the top of the premiership table.
