Some of the big Victorian stables have called on apprentice Dakotah Keane for mounts over in Adelaide on Saturday.
Ciaron Maher, Anthony and Sam Freedman and Phillip Stokes have the 3kg claiming apprentice riding for them while local trainer Andrew Clarken will give the Mornington-based rider her fifth and final ride of the meeting.
Keane is apprenticed to Tony Noonan who provided the rider with her solitary metropolitan success when successful at Sandown in July.
That winner Herbert Park, who Keane has ridden in two of her four victories, runs at Caulfield on Saturday, 20 minutes before the young rider heads out to ride Old Time Rock for Clarken.
Ironically, Herbert Park defeated La Casona in that Sandown victory which is one of Keane’s rides for Maher on Saturday.
“It’s good to get a good book of rides and to get a few good opportunities from those trainers,” Keane said.
“I think I’ve got a couple of chances, although a few have drawn a bit sticky, but hopefully it’s a good day.”
Noonan delayed Keane’s entry into city racing, wanting the rider to gain experience on country tracks and utilise her claim.
From just over 600 rides, Keane now has 50 winners to her credit and is looking forward to heading across to Adelaide more often in coming months.
It will be Keane’s second trip to Adelaide after having one ride for the Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes at Morphettville last Saturday.
Keane realises she has to do the hard yards to establish a name before hopefully being a regular on the city scene like fellow apprentices Celine Gaudray, Jaylah Kennedy and Tatum Bull.
“The boss (Noonan) is letting me go over,” Keane said.
“He said it will be good to learn over there and while it’s a tough time of year over here, I’m happy to go over.
“It beats going to Echuca and those types of places.
“It’ll be good to get some experience over there and when it’s not the big time of year like it is now, I might be able to keep it going and get Saturday city rides.”
Keane said La Casona looked a nice ride in the Sportsbet Jockey Watch Handicap (1250m) while Apache Star is now a part of the Adelaide team for Stokes and runs in the Grand Syndicate Handicap (1550m).
Keane’s other rides are Chartwell House for Mahar in the Sportsbet Nobody Does It Better Handicap (1250m) and Kodiak, scratched from Sandown on Wednesday, in the Sportsbet Handicap (1400m).
“Ciaron Maher’s La Casona looks a good ride and Stokesy’s is trained over there, so hopefully it’s a good chance as well,” she said.
Keane will have little time to dwell on her Adelaide experience, as she returns to Melbourne to ride No Surrender in the Show Day Handicap (1420m) at Flemington on Sunday for the Lindsay Park team.
