Hannan wins on her second ride in Australia, with more to come

Australian horse racing welcomed an apprentice from New Zealand this week who has made an immediate impact at Murray Bridge.

New Zealand has recently produced a string of smart apprentice jockeys. The latest in the line is Kelsey Hannan, who joined Michael Hickmott this week for a short spell in South Australia, wasting no time riding her first winner here.

Kelsey Hannan is already a name known by many who enjoy online betting on New Zealand racing, though not a name known in Australia. Runner-up in the race for the apprentice title last season, she finished just a single winner behind Tayla Mitchell, who arrived on these shores earlier in the month.

An injury prevented Hannan from taking that title, but she could still salute on 66 winners. This will only be a short first stint in South Australia to dip a toe in the water, but seeing the 20-year-old look to make the move more permanent would not be surprising.

New Zealand

Apprenticed to Shaun Phelan in New Zealand, Hannan has also ridden plenty for Andrew Forsman. She had 79 winners in total there, so she is rapidly approaching the century mark, which is a solid total for someone who is only 20. 

Rides at both Listed and Group 3 levels show that trainers trust Hannan in New Zealand. She is yet to win at that class, but she has placed efforts to her name, so it looks only to be a matter of time before she gets off the mark.

Michael Hickmott

This looks to be the perfect time for Hannan to join the Michael Hickmott stable. The yard has enjoyed an exceptional time in August, with seven winners from 13 runners this month! A stable in form is the perfect place for Hannan to gain confidence, which is precisely what is required from this short spell.

Hickmott was the one who initiated the move, speaking to Shaun Phelan to get Hannan over to try her luck in South Australia. It shows the type of rider that Hannan is that she is in demand like that. 

While in Australia, she will have Damien Wilton trying to book some outside rides for her. That task will have been made easier, given that the Hannan/Hickmott partnership has already broken its maiden tag. 

Murray Bridge

It is fair to say that Murray Bridge will always have a special place in the heart of Hannan, having ridden her first winner at the track on Wednesday on just her second ride since arriving from New Zealand on Tuesday evening.

She was well beaten on her first ride, but that was a $40 roughie for John Hyam, so it was no surprise to see that runner well beaten. That said, he put up a bold show until the last 250m, hitting the front briefly as the field swung for home.

On Ladymeansbusiness, Hannan saluted in the second race, a 1000m contest. Again, Hannan was close to the pace, but this time, her mount found plenty when asked to beak her maiden second up.

Hannan has made an immediate impact with that win on just her second ride in Australia at Murray Bridge. 

While she is only here for a few weeks, to begin with, at least she is worth keeping onside to ride a good number of winners during this short stint.