3 minute read
Sam Collett has been pleasantly surprised by the pace of her success in Queensland since she decided to up sticks and ply her trade across the Tasman.
The former champion New Zealand jockey relocated to the Sunshine State last October after a riding stint there during the 2021 winter and has quickly found her services in demand.
"I've got no regrets about the move. There is less travelling there and the stake money is obviously a lot better," Collett said.
"To be fair, I thought it would take me a little bit longer to be getting the kind of support I have in town straight off the bat.
"My manager Cameron Partington, who also acts for Mark Du Plessis and Jim Byrne, has done a great job for me."
Collett, who won her domestic jockeys' premiership in the 2017-18 season with 131 winners, is currently back in New Zealand to catch up with family and friends and recharge her batteries before returning to Australia.
"I was lucky enough to get three stakes winners over the Queensland winter carnival, which was fantastic for me having to start from scratch and establish new connections," the multiple Group One-winning jockey said..
"I'm getting a lot of support so I am enjoying it all, for sure."
Collett's holiday was prompted by an enforced spell on the side-line after suffering the bane of every jockey's life.
"I got suspended and decided to come back home and spent four days at Matamata and checked on my farm and rode a bit of work and rode at the trials," the 32-year-old said.
"I'm currently down in Queenstown and will spend a few days here before I fly back to Brisbane on Sunday.
"It's obviously been pretty full on since I got to Queensland and trying to get myself established and riding a lot of trackwork and riding everywhere I can.
"When the suspension came about I found they had a different system there. You can put in a stay of proceedings and take it almost as you please.
"It's nothing I've really come across in any part of the riding work before so I had a chat with my agent and we picked a time when it might be a bit quieter to take it.
"When I get back I won't be riding again until the 30th from the suspension."
Collett has ruled out a permanent move back to New Zealand any time soon.
"I love it over there and don't see myself coming back home to ride at this stage," she said.
"I do the majority of my trackwork riding at Eagle Farm and live with a fellow jockey, Tiffani Brooker, about 10 minutes north of there, which is pretty convenient.
"I also get down two mornings a week to ride trackwork at the Gold Coast."
Collett is also closing in on a career milestone and hopes to have that ticked off her bucket list in the coming months.
"I've ridden 64 winners since I've been over there out of 600-odd rides. My goal, whether it was New Zealand or Aussie, was to get to 1000 winners," she said.
"I think I've got high fifties to go and hoping to get that before the end of the year."
Collett is from one of New Zealand racing's foremost racing families with her father Jim a former top-class rider and her mother Trudy Thornton is a current and respected member of the senior northern riding ranks.
Her cousins Jason and Alysha Collett are well-established jockeys in Sydney and their parents Richard, who will shortly relocate his training operation from Pukekohe to Warwick Farm, and Judy both also rode.