A talented crop of Racing Victoria (RV) apprentices will battle it out against their interstate rivals in the revamped 2023 iteration of the National Apprentice Race Series (NARS), which kicks-off in Darwin on 4 March.
In a boost to this year’s series, each apprentice will ride in two races at each meeting – up from one in previous years – meaning more opportunities and more points are up for grabs.
The 2023 NARS will see six Victorian apprentices compete over a 12-race series throughout Australia, in apprentice-only races where each state is represented.
Western Australia and the Northern Territory re-join the NARS for the first time since the COVID pandemic struck, giving the series a truly national flavour once again.
The 2023 NARS schedule, with Victoria’s nominated riders, is listed below:
- Heat One: Legs 1 & 2, Saturday, 4 March, Fannie Bay, NT – Matthew Chadwick
- Heat Two: Legs 3 & 4, Wednesday, 15 March, Belmont Park, WA – Hannah Edgeley
- Heat Three: Legs 5 & 6, Sunday, 19 March, Ladbrokes Park Elwick, TAS – Maddie Price
- Heat Four: Legs 7 & 8, Wednesday, 22 March, Strathalbyn, SA – Tianni Chapman
- Heat Five: Legs 9 & 10, Wednesday, 29 March, Eagle Farm, QLD – Celine Gaudray
- Final: Legs 11 & 12, Wednesday, 19 April, Ladbrokes Park Hillside, VIC – Matthew Cartwright
While other apprentices can compete in the NARS races, only the nominated rider from each state can score points in the national competition.
Competing riders will be identified by their riding pants, which are in state colours (VIC – navy, QLD – maroon, WA – yellow, SA – red, TAS – green, and NT – ochre).
Last year’s NARS was won by South Australia after Angus Chung placed second aboard Rathlin at Ladbrokes Park Hillside in the final heat to top the leaderboard on 21 points, ahead of Tasmania on 20 points and Victoria on 16.
First held in 2008, the NARS is Australia’s premier apprentice-only race series and showcases the riding talents of the country’s most exciting young jockeys.
RV Apprentice Jockey Coach, Darren Gauci, said: “The new National Apprentice Race Series format is really exciting, and it will give the apprentices more opportunities to compete in the spotlight.
“The series is something that apprentices look forward to, and those riding at the interstate tracks will get valuable experience.
“It’s great to see Western Australia and the Northern Territory return this year, providing more depth to the series while offering apprentices the chance to ride in even more jurisdictions.
“Racing Victoria is proud to participate in the series, and we thank both Ranvet and Metcap Finance for their generosity in supporting apprentices and trainers taking part in the series.”