Six months into her race riding career, jockey Belinda Wright is thrilled to be a part of Saturday's $150,000 Country Championships Qualifier (1400m) at Albury.
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Wright will be aboard Son of Spartacus for Wagga trainer Maree Hopkins in the rich feature event.
When she steers the gelding to the gates at Albury, it will be hard not to think of how quickly things have moved since her first ride at Narrandera last year.
"I'm really excited and just really grateful to Maree for giving me the opportunity," Wright said.
"I've had less than 100 starts and to be given the opportunity to ride in a $150,000 race is pretty huge.
"I only started racing in August last year so it's been just over six months. Back then there was no way I was thinking I'd be in a race like this."
Son of Spartacus is a $61 chance but Wright partnered the five-year-old to second last start in the Rodney Parsons Handicap over the same distance at Wagga.
"I think he could be up there. He has raced against some nice horses before," Wright said.
"He’s still quite green, he's only had 10 starts. But he’s shown some promise and works well over this distance. He didn't have an easy run at Wagga, stuck three wide the trip, so I wouldn't think he's out of it."
Son of Spartacus has drawn gate four and should jump from three when the emergencies come out. Wright hopes he'll settle handy from 'the perfect alley'.
The 26-year-old jockey has had eights wins in her last 50 starts, as well as 12 minor placings. One win and two seconds were for Hopkins while other victories included a treble at Tumut on Boxing Day and a Tumbarumba Cup win. Her career stats are 11 wins in 97 races, and a placings rate of 39 per cent.
Apprenticed to Wagga trainer Wayne Carroll, Wrights puts her bright start down to the people she's around and putting in the work herself.
"I think it's a bit of both. I work pretty hard to keep myself in good physical condition," Wright said.
"And I've had a lot of help from my master, Wayne and a lot of the jockeys help me out. John Kissick, who was a really good jockey, has given me a lot of help, and Brad Clark our jockey mentor. Having good people around helps out."
Wright has a great sense of Satuday's occasion with the Carroll stable at full throttle for the SDRA Country Championships Qualifier.
"It's surreal, that's for sure. Just even with Wayne having three runners this year after he didn't have a runner last year - there's a lot of stress and a lot of excitement mixed in as well," Wright said.
"Just to have three horses that I ride work for in the field, it's good."
Donna Scott's Bennelong Dancer is a $4.20 favourite, ahead of Wagga trainer Gary Colvin's Forever Newyork ($4.60). They were the only runners in single figures in Friday's TAB fixed odds market.
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