Apprentice jockey Jaylah Kennedy rode her first raceday winner on Tuesday when she piloted Zoustar mare Friday At Five to victory at Stawell. Kennedy found a plum spot in the run behind race-favourite Lord Goldberg who had pushed forward to settle outside the lead. The young hoop stalked the leading pair before hooking out to chase at the top of the straight, gathering in her rivals at the 100-metre mark and running away to score by over a length. Kennedy was full of praise for the horse and connections post-race. “Obviously very grateful for the opportunity today to ride my first winner”, she said. “She worked into it at the 600-metre mark and down the straight she was just too good. She’s gone really well”.
The result brought up back-to-back wins for Henry Dwyer’s four-year-old, who won in similar fashion at Ararat a fortnight earlier. “I was going to tip her out after her last run but we thought we’d go one more and get another win on the board, which we’ve done”, Dwyer said. The trainer indicated that his mare would head to the paddock now for a short spell before returning for a run at Warrnambool in May. “She’s in really good order and she’s got more wins in store. It was great to get the win for Jaylah today”. The winning double sees her record at three wins and three minor placings from eleven starts, and the stable are keen to add to that tally in the autumn/winter months when the sting is out of the ground.