Apprentice jockey Floor Moerman kicked off the New Year in the best possible fashion at Riverton on Wednesday when recording her first win in the saddle aboard Three Ninety in the Carriers Arms Hotel Summer Cup (2147m) for local trainer Ebony Turner.
“It was really cool to get that first win,” the 24-year-old Dutch national said.
“I just wanted to jump her out and find a nice spot, and it worked out really well. Coming around the bend, I thought I was going to pop around them, but the gap on the rail opened so we took that and she kept on going.”
The win also continued a good day for Turner, with the result completing a winning double for the local horsewoman, and she was rapt to be able to give Moerman her first win.
“It was cool to start the year off like that and then get my first double at my home track, which was pretty special,” Turner said.
“She (Three Ninety) wasn’t the horse I thought would win it out of my stable, I was pretty confident with Caffeinated, but it was really nice for Three Ninety to get that win on the board because she has been knocking on the door for a while. She just snuck up the inside and it was really special.
“It was amazing when she (Moerman) came in and said it (first winner). What a way to get your first win.
“Three Ninety is quite a nice raceday ride so I thought she would be a nice ride for her and would give her a wee bit of a confidence boost, and it worked out quite well.”
Turner said it is nice to be able to give apprentice jockeys a chance on raceday, and she was rewarded with a winning result.
“They (apprentice jockeys) are the future of racing,” she said. “They are not going to get anywhere if we don’t put them on, so we have got to give them a chance. Floor proved that she is more than capable, and I am very excited to continue to support her and follow her through her career.”
Hailing from the Netherlands, racing was never in the picture for Moerman when growing up, and she developed her passion for horses when competing in showjumping and dressage.
“We don’t have racing at all back home,” Moerman said. “My family are into horses, we grew up with horses. I always used to ride showjumpers and dressage back home in the Netherlands.”
Moerman was introduced to racing when she began to work for trainer Kit Brooks in Cambridge, and her interest was piqued to try her hand at riding.
“Two years ago, I started travelling and I was on a working holiday visa,” she said.
“I started up north with Kit Brooks breaking-in horses. I really liked racing and I wanted to get more into that and see a bit more of the country, so that is why I made the move down south and I ended up with Krystal (Williams in Canterbury).”
Moerman is enjoying being based in the South Island and said she is able to take advantage of her location to see more tourist spots.
“It is lovely. I can see a bit on my days off, which is good,” she said.
Moerman will be hoping to add to her winning tally when she heads to Omoto on Sunday where she has three rides, including The Buffer in the Recreation Hotel Greymouth Cup (2000m) for her employer.
She is looking forward to riding The Buffer on raceday once more, and the 60kg topweight will appreciate his rider’s four-kilogram claim.
“I am really looking forward to him,” Moerman said. “I have had two rides on him so far and he is a stable favourite here.”
Moerman is enjoying her time in the saddle in New Zealand and said she is planning to stick around for a while yet.
“I am on a working visa at the moment, which is for four years,” she said. “I will see how it goes but I am not planning on leaving anytime soon.”
