The win aboard the Humphrey and Fiona O'Leary-owned Penelope Cruise at Awapuni on Saturday gave Whanganui rider Lisa Allpress the National Jockeys' Premiership two weeks early. Photo / Race Images
The win aboard the Humphrey and Fiona O'Leary-owned Penelope Cruise at Awapuni on Saturday gave Whanganui rider Lisa Allpress the National Jockeys' Premiership two weeks early. Photo / Race Images
TAB bookmakers have put up the white flag and have paid out on Whanganui rider Lisa Allpress winning the National Jockeys' premiership.
A double aboard Happy Star and Whanganui-owned Penelope Cruise at Awapuni on Saturday put her 12 wins clear of nearest rival Kozzi Asano with just two weeksand seven meetings left in a season tipped upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Allpress was delighted to sit atop the premiership once again, the fourth time in a career that began back in the 1995/96 season when she began an apprenticeship in Waverley with master trainer Kevin Gray.
Over the ensuing 24 years she has amassed 1593 New Zealand victories along with over 100 international wins from riding stints in Singapore, Japan and, most recently, a history-making victory in Saudi Arabia during an international invitational series in March, where she became the first female jockey to win in the Kingdom.
Matamata hoop Lance O'Sullivan has the most New Zealand premiership wins.
When he retired O'Sullivan was credited with winning 12 New Zealand Jockey's Premierships, having broken Bill Broughton's long-standing record of 11. He retired in 2003 with a record 2358 New Zealand winners.
Allpress was the first woman to ride 1000 winners on New Zealand soil, and notched up her 1500th win at Otaki in July, 2019.
She won her third premiership that winter, a stunning comeback from a jumpout fall in 2017 which left her with shoulder injuries that threatened to end her career.
Despite her premiership success this season Allpress is adamant that wasn't her priority from the start.
Whanganui's own Lisa Allpress wins her fourth National Jockey's Premiership. Photo / Trish Dunell
"It's one of those things that wasn't in the plan at the start of the season," she said.
"I just kept whacking away and managed to get on some nice horses that kept winning.
"I really had just set out to try and get on some nice horses out of the trials and jumpouts and following them through to the races, which was working nicely.
"I was going fairly well leading into my trip away to Saudi Arabia, so I decided to get Aidan Rodley, my agent, to help me finish off the season well, so it has definitely been a combined effort with him."
Among her New Zealand career victories are 96 at stakes level, a figure that Allpress is keen to see reach the 100 mark over the next 12 months along with several more personal goals she has set for herself.
"It is definitely a goal to get to 100 stakes wins so hopefully I can do that this [coming] season," she said.
"I've also got several trainers that I am getting close to riding 100 winners for so that would be really special if I could do that too.
"They include Michael Pitman, Wayne Marshment and my first boss, Kevin Gray, so I would really like to get that done.
"I'd like to think that achievement reflects the loyalty we have had for each other since I started as they are stables I have ridden for ever since I first started."
While Allpress would also dearly love to defend her premiership title she is relaxed about her prospects for next season.
"I'm not really sure what is going to happen next season but I know there are some really lovely young horses coming through that I am keen to be involved with," she said.
"Mr Gray and Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard have some really nice youngsters I'd like to ride when they get up and running.
"It will definitely be a quieter start for me though which I'm looking forward to and I will just take things as they come."
Allpress was back in action at Timaru on Sunday where a brilliant winning quartet aboard the Terri Rae-trained Painted Red, Scarfi, Hatrick Boys and Newmarket extended her lead over Asano to 15 after the apprentice was successful on Reliably Perky earlier in the day. — NZ Racing Desk
