Angela Cooper has been around horses all her life but the reality of riding a first winner took some time to sink in for the 21-year-old at Wellington on Tuesday.
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Apprentice jockey Cooper, the daughter of Dubbo trainer Myron Cooper, was making just her seventh start in the saddle on Tuesday and she was almost lost for words when she thundered across the line to win the Group One Thoroughbreds Benchmark 58 Handicap (1010m) aboard Miss Casier.
"It is a bit of a dream come true. It hasn't really sunken in officially," she said.
"You get out there race riding and you do it, and you still try your best and give it your all but it still doesn't quite register that you're actually doing this, this is actually your career.
"In the interview immediately after I told them I was feeling ecstatic, but I was trying to say how exciting it was more than anything.
"I've worked so hard for it over the last couple of years, it was really something."
Despite taking the lead early, Cooper and the Stephen Jones-trained Miss Casier were still nearly neck and neck with thier closest competitors until the final two hundred metre stretch, but Cooper never doubted that the win was coming.
"No way, there was no doubt in my mind," Cooper said.
"Greg Ryan rode her the start before and she looked like there was a lot more to give up to the line over that same distance, so I had a lot more horse under me, and I just asked her to give me a little more and she gave me twice as much and she got going."
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That burst of speed put nearly three lengths between Miss Casier and the second-placed Maria Elisa, ensuring that Cooper didn't just pick up a first career win, but a thumping win in style for Jones.
Cooper, who's been around horse trainers all her life due to her father's career, spent most of her formative years working towards a chance at being a jockey.
"Yeah, it started with my father, my dad was a trainer since he was about sixteen, mum's been a track-worker, they're both based out of Dubbo, still training," Cooper said.
"When I grew up, I was doing things like pony club, I'd fill in a few days with mum at the course and then one day I said to dad, 'I really want to do this, I'm serious about this', because it was just pure fantasy before that."
The opportunity to make the dream a reality came when Angela crossed paths with top Goulburn trainer Danny Williams, who took her in as an apprentice at his stable.
"Danny put me on and within about eight or nine months I started doing my trials, and a year after that, I started race riding and that's been it since."
The journey's been a bit of a whirlwind for Cooper, who still can't quite believe her good fortune, but has been kept grounded by the assistance and mentoring of the many veteran jockeys that have come before her.
"Danny has a few old jockeys, people who have been there and done that, which is good," Cooper said.
"I've got so many people around me who can answer all the questions and help me in anyway I might need help right now."
"If you turn around and say, 'how do I go about this' they'll turn around and tell you straight and they'll have a story to go with it, you know they're not just messing around."
"I suppose I'd just like to thank everyone who's helped me so far, basically."
