Te Akau Apprentice on Fire

Last Wednesday at Te Rapa, Te Akau apprentice Chelsea Burdan (19) made the day her own when winning three of the seven-race programme.

In good form of late, with
winners at regular intervals, Burdan made a winning debut aboard Lady Zeraph
(Makfi) in September last year, ended the season with 10 wins, and already has
seven to her credit since 1 August.

“It felt good because I got to
cross off a goal by riding a double and it got even better when I rode a
treble,” Burdan said.

“I've definitely improved a lot,
got stronger in a finish, getting a bit more of a swirl with my stick and just
need to improve more with it in my left hand. It's been coming along quite
nicely and I'm probably seeing the benefits of being patient in my first year
and not taking too many rides.”

As well as her regular duties:
riding work, stable-hand at the colt barn, and race day riding, Burdan also
finds time to workout at the gym and prepare retired thoroughbreds for
re-homing. She always used thoroughbreds when competing in eventing, cross
country, and dressage, and believes that many retired racehorses have hidden
talents off the track and enjoy competing in a different scene.

“I'm still working with re-homing
horses. It's quite a busy schedule and fitting in the gym is pretty important,
but I'm enjoying it all,” she said.

Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards said: “Chelsea is going really well. She's working hard at it, doing plenty of riding and a fair bit of travelling into the Central Districts, as well. She's really starting to get there now, learning from the mistakes she's made and putting horses in good positions.

“I really think she's an apprentice that over the next couple of years can come through to be one of the leading apprentices in New Zealand, and she'll have a bright future if she continues to work hard. She's doing a really good job.

In her corner and 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, is 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 girls that if you point out what she's doing
wrong she'll correct it straight away.

“I say to the apprentices,
they'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 and 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, gaining strength,
and the more race day rides she gets the fitter she'll be. But, she's made her
mark now and put her hand to say, hey, I'm here now.

“Many of the apprentices can get
a bit down when they're not getting rides, but it's all a part of learning.
And, it just takes a winner or two to get noticed and things turnaround. A lot
of our apprentices are riding well and getting winners throughout the whole
country and it makes for good competition.”

Te Akau has been home to a number of apprentice jockeys during its thirty-eight years of operation, amongst others: Vinnie Colgan, Opie Bosson, Troy Harris, Daniel Stackhouse, Samantha Collett, Daniel Miller and Shafiq Rusof and Nik Bakar.

“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 skill sets in our staff and young riders,” said Te
Akau principal David Ellis.

“We've had champion apprentices
and given many of them, including Chelsea, their first winning rides. What she
achieved when riding three winners in a day is a real feather in her cap and
shows the benefits of how hard she's worked and her will to win.

“She claims three-kilos which a great asset, especially when our horses start getting up in the weights, and we're proud to have her in the Te Akau team. She's got a good attitude and wants to succeed, and that's the name of the game.”

Chelsea has recorded seven wins, seven second and eight third placings this season already.

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