Martyn adds international flavour to NZ apprentice raceday

Queensland hoop Leah Martyn will add some international flavour to the Platinum Homes Apprentice Raceday at New Plymouth on Friday, where she will have seven rides on the eight-race card.

Leading Kiwi apprentice Amber Riddell enjoyed competing in Australia’s National Apprentice Race Series (NARS) at Eagle Farm in April, and now it is New Zealand’s turn to play host, with Martyn taking up New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s invitation to compete in the country’s annual apprentice-only raceday.

Martyn arrived in New Zealand on Monday and is rapt to get the opportunity to experience riding in a different country, a worthy consolation after being ruled out of the NARS through injury.

“I was supposed to go to Hobart for our apprentice series, but I had a fall the week before and I got stood down, so I couldn’t go,” Martyn said. “Because I missed out on going to that they chose me to come over here, which is fantastic.”

Martyn’s injury proved to be a blessing in disguise, as it has resulted in her first international trip.

“I have never been overseas, and I have always wanted to go to New Zealand, so it is perfect,” she said.

Just a day into her New Zealand trip, Martyn has already experienced a lot, including Rotorua’s unique sulphur scent.

“We got here yesterday (Monday) and I rode work at Cambridge this morning,” Martyn said.

“We also went to Cambridge Stud, which was fantastic, and we went to Rotorua, which didn’t have a great smell, to do the luge.”

Martyn will now head to New Plymouth prior to racing on Friday, and will return north a day later to ride at Te Rapa.

“I have about three or four rides at Te Rapa at the moment, which is great,” she said.

Martyn, who claims two kilograms in New Zealand, is looking forward to experiencing race riding on this side of the Tasman.

“It will be fantastic riding against completely different people,” she said.

While Martyn has been on horseback since she was a child, racing was the furthest thing from her mind before she sought work as a stablehand at her local track when she was a teenager, and a seed was planted when she was invited to ride track work.

“I have always been around horses. I grew up doing pony club just out of Townsville in a place called Giru, and then my Mum and I moved to Gympie, and I moved into barrel racing,” she said.

“At the end of Year 11 I went to get a stablehand job at the track in Gympie. I am a natural light weight, and I have always ridden horses, and they said I could ride (track work) if I wanted, I had never thought about it before then, none of my family is in racing.”

The idea of pursuing a career as a jockey was further enhanced when Martyn moved to Sydney a couple of years ago to work for expat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller.

“I started riding a couple each morning and after a year I went down to do an accelerator programme in Sydney and after that I went to Chris Waller’s for a year, which was fantastic,” she said.

“I then moved back to the Sunshine Coast and started my apprenticeship at Caloundra with Garnett Taylor.”

With 70 wins now under her belt, Martyn has made a pleasing start to her career, and she is now eyeing the next stage of her career next season - metropolitan racing.

“I just got my metro licence and working my way to metro next season is my next step,” she said.

In the meantime, Martyn is enjoying her time in New Zealand and is looking forward to instigating some friendly trans-Tasman rivalry later this week.