Jokic juggles double role
THE daughter of a trainer, racing has always been in the blood of Chelsea Jokic.
Taking up trackwork as a 14-year-old, she has been around horses her entire life, so taking up a trainer’s licence was almost inevitable.
But first she had dreams of being in the saddle, and the 24-year-old has amassed more than 250 career wins and more than $3 million in prizemoney.
Now she is chasing a different success after taking up her licence in August.
While she is content with juggling her career as a jockey with her life as a trainer, an injury lay-off from the track gave her the extra time to kickstart her career on the outside of the rails.
Jokic missed most of the winter carnival after breaking her collarbone in a fall at Mackay.
It was a stark reminder of a worse fall she had at the same track two years prior, when she fractured her skull after coming off a horse in a jumpout.
“The collarbone was not that bad, it was certainly better than the skull,” she said.
“Having the licence when I got injured was great, it gave me something to do.”
Much like her career in the saddle, Jokic started her training career in high gear with a second, three thirds and a fourth-place finish in her first six starts as a trainer.
“I have really enjoyed it. I enjoy it just as much as riding, if not a bit more,” she said.
“I get to play around with my own horses, put in all the work on them and then get to watch it come off on the track.
“It gives you a real sense of satisfaction.”
While she came within a whisker of collecting her maiden win as a trainer when four-year-old While We Can was beaten by a nostril at Cluden Park last month, Jokic is still searching for that first elusive celebration.
But she will have her best chance to find it today when she saddles up two runners on her home track.
Jokic will climb into the saddle on six-year-old gelding While We Can as he takes aim at the Canadian Club Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1400m, while maidener Colonel Penaga will make his stable debut in the Maiden Handicap over 1000m.
Colonel Penaga is a former “howler” and the gelding by Pendragon underwent a tieback surgery almost two years ago to improve his efforts on the track.
It didn’t work, with his best result a second-place finish at Kembla Grange.
But it is his racing style that excites his new trainer.
“I think after the surgery he has tended to pull a bit in his races. With the tempo being a lot faster up here I think it might work in his favour,” Jokic said.
As for While We Can, today’s race will be his last before he heads to the paddock for a well-earned rest.