Madison Waters is loving life as an apprentice jockey.
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The 18-year-old Kembla Grange product scored her 14th career win at Towac Park on Monday as she rode Dean Mirfin's favourite Saint Ay to its second victory in seven days.
She was on the back of the gelding on December 21 at Bathurst and coming into the $22,000 Mcsigns Orange Benchmark 58 handicap (2100m), punters backed the youngster to get the chocolates again.
The Bathurst-based chance was duking it out for favouritism with Clare Cunningham's The Fringe but after the field paraded next to the Towac track, the five-year-old stayer made its way into $2.45, leaving the Sydney mare at $3.50.
The speed maps had Saint Ay marked as a leader and that's exactly what he looked like in the opening exchanges as he shot to the front for Waters and held on until the finish line.
And according to the young hoop, that was the plan all along.
"Dean (Mirfin) said the same to me today that he did last week," Waters said.
"That he needs a really good dig out of the gate and to start winding him up from the 600m because he can't just sit then sprint... he's got to stay the same speed the whole way down the straight.
"Last start I led on him but I had one inside me. Today I did the same but I stuck to the fence and he just kept going for me."
It really was a powerful win for the gelding which on a quick backup was even more impressive.
"I was confident today... he gave me a better feel this week than last week so I was more confident on him," she said.
"Dean's obviously a very good trainer and if he's confident, so am I."
Waters has been an apprentice for about eight months now and is lapping up the time she's spent at the track so far.
"I absolutely love it," she said.
"I've always been around horses."
Finishing fast in second was The Fringe ($3.50), followed by Yak ($11).
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