First Albany Cup victory the highlight for Great Southern leading rider Natasha Faithfull

Despite missing several meetings through suspension and a knee injury, Albany star Natasha Faithfull has won the Great Southern’s Leading Senior Rider award for the second straight year. Faithfull enjoyed a superb 2022-23 season on her home turf, which included winning her first Albany Cup. The 29-year-old finished with 18 wins to hold out gun apprentice Brayden Gaerth and experienced senior hoop Kyra Yuill by three to claim the award, presented on Friday night. Beaux Banovic-Edwards had 11 wins across the 20 meetings while Chris Nicoll and Jarrad Noske (nine wins) were just shy of double figures. Faithfull said the challenges of this season had made the victory a little sweeter. “I found it a bit tougher this year not riding for Wolfey (Steve Wolfe) as much,” she said. “Because I wasn’t based in Albany I was doing more freelance riding. “I had a suspension and missed a few meetings when I hurt my knee as well. “But we had good apprentices coming through, Brayden has got his claim and had a strong team with Roy and it is really good that there is great competition for the award. “It makes racing better in the Great Southern, the better horses and riders.” The highlight of the season for Faithfull was winning the $100,000 Albany Cup aboard local horse Said No One Ever while also booting home some winners for her mum and Albany trainer Samantha Faithfull. “Albany Cup is the big one and that’s the one you want,” Faithfull said. “It was great to get that and I had an enjoyable season, it was nice to get a couple of wins for mum as well. “Spinning off the Albany season has worked well into Kalgoorlie and Carnarvon but I’m still loving riding and I’m always trying to keep improving.” Faithfull also won the $40,000 Ladies Bracelet feature race in her award-winning Great Southern season. She is closing in on the 100-win mark for the WA season, having won 85 races so far. Faithfull is the leading provincial rider in the State with 64 wins to her name, seven clear of champion WA hoop William Pike. GREAT SOUTHERN LEADING RIDER Natasha Faithfull 18 wins Brayden Gaerth 15 Kyra Yuill 15 Beaux Banovic-Edwards 11 Chris Nicoll 9 Jarrad Noske 9