Former Albany jockey Leanne Howlett secures first win as a trainer

Former jockey Leanne Howlett had a day to remember at the final Great Southern meeting as she won her first race as a licensed trainer.

Howlett, who retired from race riding in 2013, notched her first winner when Carolina Reaper clung on in the final stages of race three in Albany on Friday.

The four-year-old had not won a race since his two-year-old days but, under the vigour of in-form hoop Kyra Yuill, found plenty at the finish to win by a short head.

This season Howlett took over training a small two-horse team from her partner Kevin Allen.

Her other horse, Calbanesco, has run two minor placings this season.

Howlett said it was nice to finally break the drought.

“It has been a long time coming, it’s just a relief to get that first winner,” she said.

“I have been wanting to try him over further, I finally got him to the 1500m and he was ridden in a positive manner by Kyra.

“The horse deserved the win, he has been through a lot since we have had him and he’s had a lot of problems.”

But after 25 starts, Howlett broke through for a deserving success in the Alison Rae Handicap (1500m), as Carolina Reaper edged out Propeller and Family Connection in a tight finish.

A quinella for local trainer Maurice Sheridan in the final race of the season lifted him above Adam Durrant to the top of the Great Southern Trainer Strike Rate Award for season 2019-20.

Lightly-raced galloper Athlone Castle flew down the outside for apprentice Madi Derrick to grab stablemate and leader Ellens Choice in the shadows of the post to win the Eden Road Racing Handicap (1100m) by under a length on the line.

Albany trainer Jonathon Jachmann made it two wins in the final two meetings after Uptown Funk upset her rivals in race six.

Apprentice Laqdar Ramoly settled the mare in the first half of the field and squeezed up along the rails to defeat Sir Snugalot.