Singleton based apprentice jockey Mikayla Weir's four wins at Manning Valley Race Club's TAB meeting at Taree on Friday signalled that she is ready for the big stage when she joins the senior jockey ranks at the end of this month.
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The wins for the leader of the Rising Star Series for apprentice jockeys took her tally to 42, along with just over 120 placings, with prizemoney around $1,346,000.
It was also fitting that one of her wins was for her master, trainer Todd Howlett, he along with Port Macquarie trainer Angela Graham, grabbing winning doubles on a memorable day.
Weir's wins were on Roman Candle ($4.40), Arewerichenuff ($4.40), French Factor ($7) and What's Onemore ($2.60) but she also had a second,a third and a fourth on the eight-race card.
One of her more exciting wins was on What's Onemore for Graham where she tracked the leaders far into the straight before angling for a narrow split 50m out to nab the win by a quarter of a length in the Manning Valley Race Club.Com Plate over 1600m.
"This is my first winning double...I love this horse," a happy Graham said.
Weir's other win for Graham on Arewerichenuff in the Griffos Automatic Taree Handicap over 1000m was much easier by 4.5 lengths in beating first-starter, Taree's Nicci Knee Knack, the $2.50 favourite.
Three-year-old filly French Factor, trained by Howlett, was only having its second start and came from a wide barrier to score by a half-length in the Kennards Hire Taree Handicap over 1250m.
Weir described the filly as having a casual approach to racing whereas Howlett described the galloper as "doing a good job and may develop into a Highway hope."
Four-year-old gelding Roman Candle, trained at Newcastle by Paul Perry, used the rail perfectly to keep second placegetter, $1.65 favourite Dismissal, wide before romping to a 2.5 lengths win in the Events Are Best At MVRC Plate over 1400m.
Howlett's other winner was Scorched Land ($4), ridden by Alysha Collet, with Weir being third on Perry's Zizania, in the TAB.Com.Au Handicap over 1600m.
Scorched Land was last away and came with a withering run to score impressively by 1.75 lengths.
"That was his first go at a mile...I always thought he could get 2000m," Howlett said.
On Sunday Weir rode another winner Supreme Goddess at Dubbo.
