Leeton rider Bree Pitt will make her long-awaited race debut at Murrumbidgee Turf Club's picnic meeting on Saturday.
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Pitt has been working for Leeton trainer Peter Clancy for 11 years and will get her chance at race riding at Saturday's added picnic meeting at Wagga.
The MTC agreed to host the unscheduled meeting after the coronavirus outbreak led to the cancellation of picnic races at Ardlethan, Tullibigeal and Cootamundra.
Unfortunately the meeting will be closed to the public, meaning Pitt's family, including her two children, will be unable to be in attendance for the special moment.
The 27-year-old has not let that worry her and is looking forward to her debut on Saturday.
"Yeah I'm excited. Very excited," Pitt said.
"I'm over the moon actually, to be finally getting out there. It's good of the local stewards and the Wagga club for putting on the extra meeting."
"It's a shame that I won't get to have family or anyone there, it's a shame in that way, but there's also not going to be as much pressure is there?"
Pitt was almost ineligible to ride at Wagga on Saturday.
Needing 10 trial rides to complete her licence, she had her first ride on Christmas Eve and quickly worked her way to eight. With the threat of coronavirus looming, Pitt managed to pick up two trial rides at the one meeting before the shut down.
"Everything fell into place," she said.
"I only had the two trials to go with one meeting left but there was two trials and I managed to get rides in both of them.
"Its all fallen into place."
Pitt is no stranger to the races after starting out with Clancy as a teenager.
She had hoped to become a picnic jockey earlier in life but is now keen to make up for lost time.
"This is my 11th year working with Pete. When I first started I was thinking about being a picnic jockey but I've had two kids in the meantime and that got in the way," she said.
"Now I'm a little bit older, Pete has allowed me to have a go again."
Pitt has four rides on the six-race card. Her first ride will come in the Picnic Maiden Plate (1200m) on Irish Skies for Cowra trainer Barry Wall.
She then rides Saturation for Griffith trainer Gino D'Altorio in the Class Two Trophy Handicap (1200m), before finishing with two rides for Wagga trainer Chris Heywood on War Image and Fabulous Fran.
"I don't know much about Barry Wall's horse," she said.
"There's no pressure with three of them because they don't have that good of form. Hopefully Fabulous Fran can get out and run and run a good race."
Pitt will not be the only one making a long-awaited debut at Wagga on Saturday.
The David Blundell-trained Old Eli will make his debut as an eight-year-old in the Picnic Maiden Plate (1050m).
Owned by Mick Doyle's Oxley Partnership, the gelding will be ridden by Wayne Wheatley.
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