Champion Wanganui jockey Lisa Allpress was in white hot form on Monday thanks to her mates at Waverley.
On the eve of her departure to an invitational race meeting in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, Allpress rode four winners and a second on the seven-race card at Waverley. Three of those winners - Joan Frances, Fred Flinstone and The Lone Ranger - are trained by Waverley horseman Sam Lennox, while her fourth winner was on the John Boon-trained Classic Rio. And while Allpress wasn't in the saddle, trainer Rosie Gibbs made it five for the locals with Knowing in the Vetfarm Maiden 1400 with Opie Bosson aboard.
While Allpress has guided four home in a day numerous times during her career, lining up three and winning with all three was a first for Lennox.
"I can't recall lining up three in a day, let alone winning with them all - this is a first and it feels great, something you really only dream of. I went into the day thinking I might get one with The Lone Ranger - he's a tough bugger, but to get three..." Lennox said.
Boon, however, has bagged three in a day before. "I did it here at home on Waverley Cup day when the cup race was worth $70,000," he said.
The day compared well with a January day a few seasons back when he won the Group One Wellington Cup with Cluden Creek.
"Training three in a day at home, including the hometown cup was probably on a par with winning the Wellington Cup when it was raced over 3200m. Had the Wellington Cup been over today's distance of 2400m, training three at home would have certainly trumped that," Boon said.
Boon is president of the Waverley Racing Club, while Lennox is his deputy and both agreed it was a shame it was on a Monday.
"Yeah, shame it's a Monday. The Clarendon [local pub] would have been humming otherwise, but we've both got horses to work in the morning and farms to run," they lamented.
Allpress was quite rightly chuffed with her achievement and pleased she was able to win for her mates. The 38-year-old spent her apprenticeship years with Kevin Gray when he trained from Waverley and the friendships formed over those years has since paid handsome dividends.
"I've ridden four in a day quite a few times and my best is five, but this is a great feeling being able to win on the local horses - it still feels like home," she said.
And so it should. Allpress, husband Karl and children Angus and Josh live just down the line on Pakaraka Rd near Maxwell.
Allpress and her husband flew out from Wanganui yesterday bound for Kuala Lumpur where she will represent New Zealand in the international invitational jockey series on Saturday and Sunday New Zealand time.
While horses to be ridden in the nominated series races are drawn by ballot, Karl Allpress has called in favours from mates made in Malaysia when he was stable foreman for John Sargent in Kuala Lumpur during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In fact, the pair won the premiership in 2000.
Stephen Gray, son of Allpress' former boss, has also helped out arranging rides from his Singapore base.
Safely through the weekend's assignment, the winner of last season's New Zealand jockey's premiership will return home to pack for a trip to Ascot in England and Dubai at the end of July.
"And we come back from that trip just four days before we head over to Singapore for a three month riding stint - it's really exciting," Allpress said.