Apprentice Hall gets first Flemington win

The win of Annrhon in a benchmark race at Flemington is one apprentice Chelsea Hall will long remember.

Hall’s narrow victory on the Heath Conners-trained mare in Saturday’s Arbroath Handicap (1100m) gave the 26-year-old apprentice her first Flemington win.

The victory also came at a cost for the apprentice, with stewards later fining her $800 for using the whip four times more than allowed before the 100m mark of the race.

“It’s a massive thrill,” Hall said after the win.

“It’s good to have my first city winner at Flemington. Obviously everyone waits for this moment, so it’s great.

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“And it’s great to do it on my first boss’s horse as well.”

Hall said she worked for Conners for 12 months before she had even sat on a horse.

“I didn’t ride work for Heath but I just learned how to deal with horses and all the fundamentals of racehorses and horses in general,” she said.

Apprenticed to John Moloney at Caulfield, Hall had ridden a couple of city winners before Saturday’s Flemington breakthrough.

Annrhon ($17) got home by a half-neck over Bob Of The Head ($8) with another short neck to third placegetter Strykinglee ($5.50) in the $60,000 race.