Lacing a path to the Cairns Cup

By Jordan Gerrans

For comeback jockey Lacey Morrison to post a career-best tally of winners in a season, as well as winning the Cleveland Bay Handicap at 40 years of age, is an extraordinary achievement.

And, if you take into consideration what the Atherton Tablelands-based rider has had to manage in her personal life to reach those highs, it takes the 2023-24 campaign to a whole new level.

The leading North Queensland hoop has juggled finishing her studies as a nurse in recent months, working on placement at hospitals, on top of riding work and in races.

She completed the season last month with 101 winners to her name.

That smashed her previous record of 78 back in 2021-22.

Morrison is arguably riding as well as she ever has after spending around seven years away from the game between 2013 and 2021.

She now has her eyes on claiming Saturday’s feature Cairns Cup aboard Cashin' Chex.

“She is the ultimate professional,” respected trainer Roy Chillemi said of Morrison.

As well as her studies and racing commitments, Morrison has a young son at home to look after.

She says there was plenty of ‘ups and downs’ and ‘struggles’ to complete all the required tasks over the last year with so much going on in her life.

With her studies nearing completion, the top NQ rider is still weighing up what her future looks like when she is a qualified nurse.

She has been working at a hospital during the day during the 2024 Northern Winter Carnival on top of a few mornings of track work a week and riding at the rich feature meetings.

Morrison is half way through her second placement and will return to the books in October, which will mark six months until she is finished her studies.

When she made a shock return to the saddle in early 2021, the hoop opted to come back to race riding to supplement her income, while also hitting the books.

“That will get me the qualification of an enrolled nurse,” she said of her nearing completion of her degree.

“I will work under the supervision of a registered nurse and if I want to go back studying at a later date then I could become a registered nurse myself.

“I am not far away from having another career, it will be great.

“I am hoping to get a graduate position as a nurse and then continue to ride when I can. I will see how it goes and play it by ear.”

Morrison struck up a close connection with the Chillemi stable last season, riding work for the veteran master trainer in the morning as well as taking on a large number of his race day opportunities.

They combined for 17 winners last term at a strike-rate of 28 per cent.

“She picks the horses of mine she wants to ride – she does not ride them all – and she does the job well,” Chillemi said.

“I don’t even tell her how to ride my horses as she does a lot of homework herself. She studies her own races well.”

Morrison will partner Cashin' Chex in the Cup on Saturday as well as other feature rides aboard Hurtle for Georgie Holt in the Lightning Handicap and Bill Kenning’s Beau Rain in the Daintree Guineas.

She has a strong book of rides across the program on Saturday.

“She is one of the class jockeys up here in North Queensland,” Cairns Jockey Club General Manager Cameron Riches said.

“Lacey gets on the right horses.”

For Morrison to post a career-best mark of winners last season after making her debut in the saddle way back in 2000 speaks volumes about the way she is riding.

She was a champion apprentice jockey in her younger days, won a Clifford Park premiership, claimed the Group 3 BTC Classic aboard Proudly Agro in 2003 and became the first woman to win the Townsville Cup with Legal Brief in 2007.

“It was a great season – the best I have had to date,” she said of 2023-24. 

“I just feel really grateful for all the support that I get and to be able to achieve that – it is all the one percenters.

“I have people that surround me a lot to help me achieve that with juggling my son and my work commitments.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without all the support I receive from my community to help me with my child and all the trainers that give me great rides.

“I think I could be riding better as I am not putting as much time into my riding of late just because I do not have the time.

“I do feel like I am riding at the level I would like to be but I am not as good as I would like to be – I am always my worst critic.”

To add the 2024 Cleveland Bay Handicap to her Townsville Cup that she won over a decade ago was a special occasion for the jockey.

She got on Northern Pride for Bowen trainer Tom Button two starts before the Cleveland Bay and lifted the gelding in the time-honoured North Queensland sprint.

“It was great, I had only just started riding that horse a few starts before the Cleveland Bay,” she said.

“I had a good opportunity from the trainer and owners of the horse.

“We got in at a light weight and it was really good. It was significant as I have won Cups races before but not a big sprint like that – it is always good to win a feature race.”