Heni Ede and Belinda Wright have vastly different backgrounds but both have been given the opportunity to kick their careers off at Narrandera.

After more than 30 trials ride each in preparation, Ede and Wright will both be legged aboard last-start winners 

Wright, who hails from Temora, is apprenticed to Wayne Carroll and will have her first ride on Fashion Tip in the second division of the Bendigo Bank Benchmark 50 Handicap (1200m).

“I’m really excited,” Wright said.

“I’ve ridden this filly since she was a breaker. She’s a sweet little horse and I ride her every day. I’m pretty excited.”

Wright, 26, has ridden horses her whole life but never imagined she would one day become a jockey.

“People have always said to me you should be a jockey but I knew it was a dangerous sport and I never really knew anyone who could get me into the racing industry,” she said.

“But once I was in, I loved it and did my first few jumpouts and it just convinced me straight away. That feeling of coming out of the barriers is just something, nothing was ever going to beat it.”

Ede, 22, has been in Wagga for three years after following her family here from New Zealand.

She will ride Powerscourt in the opening division of the Bendigo Bank Benchmark 50 Handicap (1200m) for her boss Tim Donnelly. 

“I’m actually really excited and a bit nervous at the same time,” she said.

“I’m lucky that I know this horse and ride him every morning.”

Ede was lucky enough to spend three months in Sydney at Mark Newnham’s stables. She rode against the likes of Tye Angland and Blake Shinn at the trials and was mentored by Kerrin McEvoy.

“I was lucky enough to get four or five trial rides there against the Sydney jocks. It was amazing,” she said.

“The trials up there are run like races so it was really good. It was good with Mark because he’s an ex-jockey. He taught me a lot.”

Ede had never ridden a horse when she arrived at Donnelly’s stables but she immediately fell in love with the game.

“I came over for a gap year, ended up working in stables and loved it. I remember coming and watching trackwork one morning and thinking I wouldn’t mind doing that one day,” she said.

“I didn’t really know how to ride a horse so Tim taught me and got me going and now I’ve come this far, Trevor Sutherland has helped me out as well.

“It was just something I ended up falling in love with. From the first gallop I ever did, I fell in love with going fast and wanted to keep doing it.”

Both ladies wished to thank people for getting them to this point in their careers.

Ede thanked Tim Donnelly, Trevor Sutherland, Mark Newnham and Rebeka Prest for their help. Wright thanked Wayne Carroll and the owners of Fashion Tip.

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