Chelsea You Champ

How proud are we are at Te Akau Racing!!

Te Akau jockey Chelsea Burdan won Most Promising Apprentice Jockey at the Northern Region Apprentice Awards on Monday night at Cambridge Stud.

Her award was sponsored by Tony
and Vicki Rider, who breed and prepare horses for sale at Milan Park,
Cambridge.

“It was nice to win the award and
I received a certificate and a sponsored stick,” Burdan said.

“I'm happy with the way things
are going at the moment, travelling everywhere to ride, riding work for Jamie
(Richards), and working in the colt barn at Matamata.

“I feel I'm getting tidier in my riding. Trying to get lower, keeping my heels up, being patient in the run. I won the Waverley Cup a couple of weeks ago, the win on Battle Time at Tauranga, and had a winner last Saturday at Wanganui. I'm getting one or two winners a week, which is good, and 19 wins so far this season.

Te Akau has been home to a number of apprentice jockeys, amongst others: Vinnie Colgan, Opie Bosson, Troy Harris, Daniel Stackhouse, Samantha Collett, Daniel Miller and Shafiq Rusof.

“Te Akau has a great reputation and history with apprentice jockeys and consider it an important part of the racing industry to not only produce quality thoroughbreds but also to back its young people and develop the skill sets of our team and young riders,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis.

“We've had champion apprentices and given many of them, including Chelsea, their first winning ride. What she's achieved to have already landed two hat-tricks this season is quite incredible and I'm immensely proud of her winning the award."

In her corner and also proud of what she is achieving, Rider Master Noel Harris says Burdan is a good example of our apprentices in this country.

“She's a standout, hungry to
succeed and she's trying really hard,” said Harris, a Hall of Fame jockey with
over 2000 wins. “She's got a will to win and she's a quick learner. She's
listens, wants to better herself and succeed, and I just love that in her.

“I know most apprentices are in a hurry, but she's one of those young women that if you point out what she's doing wrong she'll correct it straight away.

“I say to the apprentices, you've got four years' apprenticeship and as keen as they are, the winter's behind you to make your mark and a lot of times in summer the trainers want to use seniors. So they've got to step up to prove to the trainer that they can be competitive in the summer. They've got to learn to save ground and do things right, and that's what I point out at the Riding School.

“Chelsea has had a year now and she's deserving of more summer rides. She's got good rhythm, getting tidier, and the more race day rides she gets the fitter she'll be. But, she's made her mark now and put her hand up to say, hey, I'm here now.”

Back