McIver Wins WA Challenge

07-Oct-2009: Queensland apprentice jockey Chris McIver got Queensland off to a flying start in this season’s National Apprentice Series Challenge.

Today at Belmont racecourse in Western Australia, the 22-year-old competed and won against apprentices from across Australia.

Chris led all the way on $6.40 chance Delta Bay (Bruce Watkins) after jumping from barrier 12. Victoria and Western Australia claimed the minor placings in the 1400 metre race which carried prizemoney of $40,000.

The win gives Queensland the maximum seven points in the series which continues at Canterbury, Moonee Valley, Morphettville, Alice Springs and the Gold Coast.

Chris has had 1657 race rides during his apprenticeship, including 145 wins, with 26 of them in the metropolitan area. He started his apprenticeship in Rockhampton and made the move to Brisbane in the last 12 months and is apprenticed to well known trainer Liam Birchley. Chris has won 13 races for the Birchley stable during that time. Some of Chris’ highlights have been to ride four winners on the one day at a Rockhampton TAB meeting.

Queensland Racing Limited’s (QRL) licensing and training manager Peter Smith said Chris’ win is a great start to the series and a fitting reward for a hard working apprentice.

“We drew some wide barriers and rough chances last year so this provides encouragement for our apprentices nominating for the next legs of the series,” added Mr Smith.

This is the second year of the National Apprentice Series challenge which proved highly successful last year and gave Australian apprentices excellent opportunities to travel to different states, ride on new tracks and develop their professional skills.

Last year Michael Palmer, Luke Dillion and Jason Kropp represented Queensland while Amy Taylor’s mount at Moonee Valley was a late scratching. Seven other apprentices competed in the Queensland leg.

The race is organised according to the rules agreed between the states for this series. This is not a race run in the fashion of the old style “Apprentice Cup” races. Each state nominates their own apprentice for each leg which enables an opportunity to race to a number of different apprentices during the series. At the conclusion of the final race, the state which has accumulated the most points in the series will receive the National Apprentice Series Cup. Last season the series was won by South Australia.

Apprentices riding in the series are representing the state in which they are registered. Points are allocated as below:

• First place - seven points
• Second place - five points
• Third place - three points
• All other placings - one point on behalf of the state in which they are indentured.

Once again the Queensland leg is planned for the Gold Coast Turf Club on Gold Coast Stakes Day in March 2010. The event will include a racing industry careers day in conjunction with the Department of Education and Training who sponsored the race last year.

Author: Queensland Racing Media Release