When Buddy Lammas started his apprenticeship, riding at Ellerslie seemed pretty cool.
Then, he thought riding out his apprentice claim would be his ultimate aim.
He never thought that at the end of a year he would ride a winner for the world's biggest thoroughbred owner Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid
al Maktoum, one of the rulers of Dubai.
Lammas got an enormous kick out of riding Delude to victory in the first leg of the world apprentice's championship in Dubai last weekend.
Being congratulated by the Sheikh's son was a huge high.
He, like his father, is one of the world's prominent horse endurance riders.
"He told me any time I wanted to come back to Dubai to come back," said Lammas as he prepared to ride at Ellerslie's big meeting today.
Lammas finished fifth in the overall world championship, one place behind Sydney's prominent apprentice Kathy O'Hara.
Riding on dirt for the first time was a different experience.
Four of the apprentice's six races were on dirt, including Lammas' win, and two on grass.
"It's just jump and run on the dirt - it's so different. The grass racing seemed a lot slower by comparison," he said yesterday.
Although the championship was won by the apprentice from Turkey, Japan's Kodai Hasegawi was the rider that impressed Lammas the most.
"He had a very nice style. I guess he's been riding against some of the world's best."
When he got back from Dubai Lammas had time only for a sleep before he got on the road to Thursday's Levin meeting.
"I haven't had a chance to really study my Ellerslie rides," he said yesterday.
Among the best of them is Chita Rivera, a promising filly who faces some hot opposition in the $20,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes and last-start winner She Reigns in Race 11.
Time Spent in Race 5 and Climbing High in Race 7 are solid value runners.
