Apprentice Emily Lang excited for debut rides

By Jordan Gerrans

Jockeys only get one chance at their race day debuts and apprentice Emily Lang feels she is as prepared as she will ever be for her first official day at the races.

The 21-year-old heads to Warwick this Saturday afternoon for the first engagements of her riding career, following an extended learning process through trials and jump-outs.

Lang works for the leading Steven O'Dea and Matthew Hoysted team at Eagle Farm, with the senior member of the co-training partnership ensuring the stable’s apprentice went above and beyond in her preparation for her debut rides.

All new riders need to complete 20 jump-outs and trials to the stewards’ satisfaction before they can embark on their first race rides.

For Lang, she did not stop at 20 and while it has pushed back her opening day at the races as a professional jockey, in hindsight, it was all worth it, she thinks.

“It has taken me a lot longer than most for me to get to this stage, Steven has made me do over 50 trials and just as many jump-outs,” Lang said.

“Most trainers will ask me how many trials I have done and they would always be surprised at home many I have ridden in, without yet riding in a race.

“It has worked one hundred percent; Steven certainly did the right thing by me because I am only now starting to feel confident and like I am riding them out properly and actually giving them a good chance to get to the finish line.

”It has helped me making me wait and doing more trials, because you only get to make your first impression once.”

Lang says she is heartened that a former apprentice of O'Dea’s – Aidan Holt – was also put through an extended period of trials and jump-outs before he made his debut many years ago, which held him in good stead for his apprenticeship.

She makes the trip to Warwick this Saturday with three rides across the seven event non-TAB program, declaring she was a mix of nervous and excited ahead of the big day.

While Lang has been around horses her entire life, she is the first from her family to purse a career in racing.

She grew up around horses and eventing.

“I always wanted to keep riding and what not but it is hard if you want to be an eventer as there is not much money in it,” she said.

“I went to Sydney for a couple of years and rode down there and we rode a lot of pre-trainers for Matthew Smith and that is how I started to get into racing a bit more.

“From then I started riding at the track and then gallops and I just progressed from there.”

After spending time with the Smith stable south of the border, Lang eventually landed a job with Chris Munce at Eagle Farm, with the former jockey turned trainer the first person to give her a go riding a race horse at the track.

Apprentices complete a race day jockeys room visit as they build up to their debut, with Lang guided by Samantha Collett and Tegan Harrison in her experience.

She says the top female riders in Queensland encouraged her to focus on professional networking and relationships within the industry, just as much as what happens out on the track.

The O'Dea and Hoysted stable – who are second on the Queensland trainers premiership this season – have been a substantial supporter of Lang since she started working for the team, including purchasing a mechanical horse for her to learn on.

“Steven has not ridden before but he is very good at looking at you and telling you what you are not doing right,” she said.

“Steven has been really good and bought a few horses to send out to the bush for me because we do not really have anything that goes out there.

“They will be going around at Nanango next week. 

“I am very lucky they would get horses like that for me to ride, Steven and Matt have been great for me.”

Of Lang’s three rides on Saturday, she believes Vinasta in the Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1500 metres – which is the Warwick Picnic Cup – is likely her best chance of grabbing a victory on her first day riding.