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FWC: BEL v SEN from 7am, SN ExtraThe Tasmanian apprentices taking over Aussie racing
Matt Reid • July 1st, 2026 5:04 pm
2025/26 has been a season to remember for Tasmania’s apprentice jockeys, both at home and interstate.
While Jackson Radley and Jabez Johnstone have rightly received praise for their recent achievements in Victoria, Taylor Johnstone (South Australia) and Chelsea Baker (Queensland) have forged successful careers in their adopted states.
Taylor Johnstone concluded her apprenticeship on the weekend and entered South Australia’s senior riding ranks, nearing 200 career wins, and had her first taste at Group 1 level in the Australasian Oaks in April.
Chelsea Baker has 37 wins for the season in Queensland, a career-best tally since she began riding back in 2021/22.
“I’m really proud of all their achievements, and you take a lot of personal pride because you have a lot to do with them,” said Tasmanian Apprentice Jockey Program Manager Stephen Maskiell.
“You ride the rollercoaster with them, and whenever they succeed, you just feel so happy for them.”
The current racing season has seen Jackson Radley and Jabez Johnstone move to Victoria, with the pair dominating the recent metropolitan scene.
Both had winning doubles on the Saturday program at Flemington on 20 June, before Jackson Radley went one better with a winning treble at Caulfield the following week.
“Not many apprentices head to Victoria and have success, so for those young men to do what they’re doing, it just shows their skill and how bright the future is,” Maskiell said.
Jabez Johnstone's introduction to Victorian racing has been almost unprecedented, with 19 wins in the state from just 75 rides, the majority of which have been for his new boss, Ciaron Maher.
The success of Tasmania's apprentices also included their first-ever overall win in the 2026 National Apprentice Race Series.
“For all of our riders interstate, I’m not surprised to see them having success because they all have an unbelievable work ethic.”
The various moves for Tasmania’s apprentices have diminished the stocks left in the state, but Maskiell says that the next wave isn’t far away.
Robyn Lynch and Indi Bowles have been honing their craft by riding in trials and may be ready to begin their careers early in the new racing season.
“The girls will need to earn their stripes and be consistent with trial rides to get the nod, but they’re trending the right way.”
Indi Bowles is based in the north of the state with Graeme McCulloch, while Lynch is in the south, indentured to Jessie Bazan at Brighton.
