With only 11 meetings remaining, apprentice Codi Jordan has an 11-win lead on the Tasmanian jockeys' premiership.
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With the backing of the strong Glenn Stevenson stable and barring bad luck, Jordan looks set to join Craig Newitt (2001-02) and Bev Buckingham (1981-82) as the only apprentices to win the title in modern times.
Buckingham's win, as a 17-year-old, created national headlines as she was also the first female to win a state jockeys' premiership.
Female riders have come a long way since then and they currently fill the top three places on the Tasmanian table and four of the top six.
Jordan has ridden 53 winners, Siggy Carr 42, Erica Byrne Burke 41 and Taylor Johnstone 28.
Jordan has also had more rides than anyone else (344) and her mounts have won the most prizemoney ($1,265,000).
The only category the females are not leading is strike-rate where Brendon McCoull, as usual, is way out by himself on 25.6 per cent.
Jordan, despite no longer claiming at non-metropolitan meetings, is still getting full books of rides and will be involved in every race at Elwick on Sunday.
STALKER SEEKING CHANGE OF STABLE
Tayah Stalker, another of the state's promising apprentices, has parted ways with trainer Cameron Thompson and is hoping to join the John Blacker stable.
"She wants to stay in the Longford area and I'm happy to take her on," Blacker said.
"At the moment, she's only allowed to ride in trackwork and trials but she has another meeting on June 1 to get her papers sorted out.
"I believe there is a bit of a push to get her down to Hobart but she's told me that's not what she wants."
Stalker, 19, rode a winner in her first race at Spreyton last September and has ridden another six winners since.
However she has had only three rides in the past three months.
Blacker also has apprentice Brooke Hanham with his stable but said she is not yet ready to ride in races.
APPRENTICE HAS APPEAL SUCCESS
Apprentice Chelsea Baker has had a one-meeting careless riding suspension reduced to a reprimand by the Racing Appeal Board.
Baker was suspended over her ride on Diamond Bay at Mowbray on March 30, with stewards finding that she allowed her mount to shift in at the 300m and cause interference to Lady Joker.
She has continued riding on a stay of proceedings.
Baker's appeal advocate argued that the level of carelessness was relatively minor and stewards should have made a greater allowance for her inexperience.
It was only her 26th race ride.
GOODWOOD MAY BE FEMALE AFFAIR
Only three females have rides in the group 1 Goodwood Handicap at Morphettville on Saturday but they could fill the trifecta.
Jamie Kah will ride $5.00 favourite Extreme Warrior, Kayla Crowther is on $8.50 third favourite Behemoth and Jessica Eaton is on bottom weight Manhatten Times, a $34 outsider but rated "a real chance" by his trainer Leon Macdonald.
Kah is second behind Jye McNeil on the Victorian metropolitan premiership, Crowther leads the South Australian statewide premiership with more than 100 winners and Eaton is in the top 10 on the SA metropolitan table.
The only female on the Goodwood honour roll is Clare Lindop who won on the Robert Smerdon-trained Lone Rock in 2011.
SQUAMOSA JOINS EVANDALE STUD
Brooklyn Park Stud has secured Not A Single Doubt stallion Squamosa to stand alongside recent addition Holler at Evandale this season.
Squamosa had only a short career under the care of Gai Waterhouse, winning four of his seven starts including the group 3 Run To The Rose in Sydney.
He ran second to Toorak Toff in the $1 million group 1 Golden Rose, also at Rosehill.
He was considered the trailblazer for sons of Not A Single Doubt to go to stud and has been followed by the likes of Extreme Choice, Farnan, Doubtland, Anders and Dubious.
His progeny include Order Of Command, an eight-time winner of almost $1 million and runner-up to Eduardo in the group 1 Galaxy at Rosehill last year.
His other group 1 performers include smart mare Kiwi Ida, a 14-time winner in New Zealand.
Squamosa's Tasmanian winners have included Derasa, Azara, Thunberg, Cabarrus and most recently Banca Tom.
He will stand for a fee of $3300 with limited breeding rights available.
Group 1 winner Holler will stand for $4400.
FAMOUS TRAINER BACK IN NEWS
More than 30 years after winning the only Australian Pacing Championship run in Launceston, legendary Sydney trainer Vic Frost is still chasing group 1 success.
Frost, now 81, has only trained "a few ordinary ones" for a hobby in recent years but now has a grandson of Westburn Grant racing at the top level.
Scotch En Ice is $6.50 third favourite for the group 1 Hunter Final at Newcastle on Friday night.
Westburn Grant beat arguably the best field ever assembled at Mowbray when he won the $100,000 Australian Pacing Championship in November 1991.
The other runners were Franco Tiger, Franco Ice, Almeta Boy, Thorate, Scarface Adios, Odds Torado, Kotare Kiwi, Generator and Pappy McCoy (pulled up).
Westburn Grant's mile rate of 1:57.3 for the 2100m broke the track record.