The first alarm goes off at 2.45am.
While most of Ballarat is sleeping — though, to be fair, it is a horse racing hub where early starts are nothing out of the ordinary — Jaylah Kennedy is heading to the gym for an hour before the real work begins at the stable.
The 21-year-old apprentice jockey knows her work ethic and application will have to be relentless in the coming years if she is to achieve her dream of riding a Cox Plate winner.
To the surprise of nobody who knows her parents, Wingatui trainer Terry Kennedy and wife Debbie, both former jockeys, she is not remotely bothered by the hard work. In fact, she relishes it.
Kennedy, raised in Mosgiel and educated at Taieri College, has been in Australia for four years, serving her apprenticeship at the Victorian country stable of trainer Dan O’Sullivan.
Now, her burgeoning talent has been recognised with selection in the exclusive Racing Victoria apprentice jockey training programme, one of just nine rising jockeys given that honour.
It is a four-year scheme during which the jockeys study the craft, receive top-class coaching, work with physical trainers and nutritionists and physios, interact with elite athletes from various sports, get certified for race riding and spend time with Victoria Institute of Sport and Exercise Research Australia experts.
"It’s unbelievable — I think I’m still a bit lost for words," Kennedy told the Otago Daily Times from Ballarat.
"It’s probably the most elite apprentice programme in Australia, and I’m very grateful to get this amazing opportunity.
"Lots of people apply, and it’s very hard to get a place. You have to do fitness tests and spend time on the mechanical horse, and they review your riding and trackwork, and it’s basically a year-long process just to get accepted."
Now she has made the cut, Kennedy spends two days a month in Melbourne for her high-intensity education into the art of being a good jockey.
Her main coach is multiple group 1 race-winning jockey Alf Matthews.
"It’s pretty unreal to see all these girls getting into the apprentice programme, and not because they’re girls but they have really earned their place in the sport.
"You see girls now like Jamie Kah and Rachel King and they are phenomenal riders, and they’re being recognised for it.
"There are so many inspirational female jockeys around now. Even men are looking up to them, because they’re so competitive.
"You’re not seeing trainers now looking at these women and thinking, ‘Oh, she might not be strong enough for this horse’. They’re thinking, ‘Actually, she’s probably stronger than half the male riders’.
"It’s great. Female jockeys offer a different style of riding and I think they can often get horses to settle a little bit better than men."
Kennedy joined the O’Sullivan stable the day after she arrived in Australia aged 16.
The family had treated her like one of their own, and as the stable was boutique size — fewer than 25 horses at a time — it meant a chance to properly connect with the animals.
"All of the horses get really good one-on-one time. We work so closely with the animals, which is great.
"You can really build a connection with every single horse. And you get to be real hands-on, which is my sort of work. I love all aspects of it."
After her early session at the gym, Kennedy’s work at the stable begins at 5am, and she is on and off horseback till about 9.30am.
The afternoon shift starts at 2pm, unless she is on the road for racing.
"There’s never a dull day, and never a day that’s the same, which is good."
"It’s actually so much like Mosgiel, it’s crazy, just on a bigger scale.
"Same sort of people, same sort of cruisiness, and there are horse people everywhere. Every second person you meet is involved in racing.
"I wasn’t really intending on being here this long, but it’s just how it’s panned out. Mosgiel will always be home, but this is where I need to be for this career path.
"I’ve fallen on my feet here and I’d be silly to leave."
Kennedy obviously grew up around horses — she did many weekends at pony club and jumping with her mother, and cites her parents as her biggest inspiration — but a career as a jockey was not always the first option.
"I actually wanted to get into the police force. So I thought I’d come to Australia, get some life experience then join the police.
"But once you get a taste of the adrenaline and the rush of riding race horses, it’s not something you can forget in a hurry.
"I love working with horses. They come into your stable as young horses and you work with them right through, and when you see them run well in a race or even win, it’s a pretty rewarding feeling."
Like all jockeys, Kennedy’s ultimate aim is be on the back of a group 1-winning horse.
Her particular dream is to be the first woman to ride a Cox Plate winner.
"But I just want to do as well as I can, and I’m willing to work as hard as I can do be the best jockey I can be.
"Head down, bum up. It’s been hard to get here, but if anything, it gets harder now. I’m looking forward to it."
