BROKEN Hill horse trainer Emily Tremelling has celebrated her first win at a racecourse with O’whatapicture saluting at Balaklava, South Australia, on Wednesday, October 16.
O’whatapicture, or “Big Horse” as Ms Tremelling calls him, won the fifth race, ridden by friend Stacey Metcalf.
“Stacy and I have been friends a long time. So yeah, it’s amazing,” she said.
Ms Tremelling grew up in Mildura and moved to Broken Hill three years ago after a riding injury.
She and her winning horse have competed in four races together, and this is only Ms Tremelling’s 12th race as a trainer after receiving her licence just 12 months ago.
Ms Tremelling said she was lucky to ride track work for multiple trainers in Broken Hill, which had helped her gauge how competition-ready her horse was.
“I’m riding trackwork for a few different trainers at the moment, so I’m fortunate enough to get to sit on some really nice horses for some experienced trainers that I can then compare my own horses to,” she said.
Ms Tremelling has been riding trackwork since she was 12 years old, although she doesn’t come from a family of horse riders.
“My family is not horsey. They’re into motorbikes, but I got into horses and got a job at some racing stables,” Ms Tremelling said.
She has a strict daily routine for preparing horses to race.
“I ride them every day,” she said.
“I come out here to the stables at 4am in the morning and get organised and take them to the race track.”
Ms Tremelling said she hasn’t had an opportunity to celebrate her first win just yet as she drove the six hours back home immediately after the race, arriving home at midnight and going straight to bed.
“You just have to enjoy it while it lasts, because I don’t think there’s another sport that brings you to your knees quicker than thoroughbred racing,” she said.
Ms Tremelling will be competing in the upcoming Silver City Cup races on Saturday, November 9, with “Big Horse” and another local syndicate’s horse, Ivan.
