By Jordan Gerrans
Tamara Noble recalls watching horse racing on television as a youngster and immediately telling her siblings that she would be involved in the sport when she was old enough.
The 26-year-old lived out that dream on Tuesday afternoon at Chinchilla Race Club as she took her first race ride as a jockey.
The Toowoomba-based apprentice almost commenced her riding career in the best possible way as her one mount Stormtrooper led for much of the trip before eventually finishing second.
While Noble – who works for Troy Pascoe – watched the races and dreamed of being involved, it was an unusual pursuit in her family as no one had before been involved in the industry.
She got her first horse as a teenager and did not look back from then on.
“As a little girl I can remember telling my sisters that when the horse racing was on TV that I was going to do that one day,” Noble said on Wednesday morning just hours after her maiden race ride.
“Just being a little girl and seeing the horses, I just wanted to be around horses.
“It was a job I wanted and I love it now.
“I did not get my first horse until I was 14 years old and I had to beg Mum to get it for me.
“She only got the horse for me because I started doing well at school.”
While the rookie hoop has been riding track work for many years, her debut appearance as a jockey was somewhat rushed.
Noble was only ticked off as being available for race rides late last week, which coincided with acceptances for the Chinchilla TAB meeting.
Ipswich trainer Brett Sturgess offered Noble the ride on the gelding and she quickly got her licence approved for the booking.
With Noble’s four kilogram claim, Stormtrooper led into the home straight before Perfect Legacy put the Benchmark 50 Handicap race over 1400 metres to bed quickly.
“He went really good and the plan went how we wanted it to for the horse really,” Noble said.
Noble grew up in the regional town of Blackbutt in the Sunshine State and began her riding experience at Kumbia.
She spent six months riding at Kumbia before eventually transitioning into Clifford Park on the Darling Downs.
As well as working for her boss Pascoe, Noble also rides plenty of track work for the father and daughter training partnership of Tony and Maddysen Sears.
She will also often head out to Warwick to ride some track work, as well.
“It is very family based where I am stable wise,” she said.
“They keep pumping you up and you sort of have a second family. It makes work enjoyable.
“I do a lot of work with Tony and Maddysen Sears as well and they have been absolutely fantastic, I could not think of a better stable to be involved with, as well as Troy.”