By Jordan Gerrans
Apprentice rider Liv O'Donnell is optimistic her career-best haul of winners at Callaghan Park in Central Queensland on Saturday afternoon is the springboard she needs in her riding career.
Standing at 172cms, O'Donnell is one of the taller female jockeys in Australia and has to work feverishly to keep her weight down.
After a number of injury and weight setbacks since her debut back in the 2021-22 campaign, O'Donnell is putting together the finest season of her young riding career.
The four victories she collected at Rockhampton on Saturday pushed her to 31 winners for the term, as she is going at almost a 17% winning strike-rate.
The hoop was not far from turning her four winners into a full handful of five but she was happy to walk away with the quartet of triumphs at the end of the program.
With regular ‘Rocky’ pilots Justin Stanley and Ryan Wiggins riding at the feature Jewel meeting at the Gold Coast, the Toowoomba-based apprentice was handed a plum book of engagements.
“The more you ride, the better you get,” O'Donnell said.
“The more consistency and confidence comes with that, as well.