BY RUDDY ALLEN

OBSERVER STAFF REPORTER

Mellisa Ward’s smile shone brightly on Saturday, but her steely resolve was also evident as she took a major step forward in establishing her career as a professional rider of race horses.

Ward guided Sporting Clay to an easy win in the first official race for the new entrants of the Jamaica Racing Commission-run Jockeys’ Training School.

The win by Ward brought excitement to the racetrack with punters, young and old, cheering her on in the final section of the race. “Gwaan girl, gwaan,” was one of the shouts that came from a punter.

Ward is one of three young women currently learning their trade at the Jockeys’ School. The others are Natalie Berger and Andree Powell. Berger finished ninth in the race on Idon’tknow and Andree Powell was 11th on Girshom.

“Honestly, I am amazed…I am dumbfounded right now. Overall I am really happy that I won the race. The feeling is just wonderful right now and I just want to thank everyone for their support and a special thank-you to the connections of Sporting Clay,” Ward told the Complete Racing Guide after her pulsating win.

“I was confident that I could get the job done. This is a good start to my career but there is no time to celebrate, as I have three more months of hard work in the Jockeys’ School to do before I graduate as an apprentice rider. The jockeys’ school is wonderful and I am learning, as it is a learning process for all of us trainee riders,” she added.

The 21-year-old Ward said that she wants to make the best of her chances.

“I do not want only to become a jockey; I want to be an educated professional jockey. I want to elevate myself as the sky is the limit for me. I want to pursue a career in this profession, so I will grasp every opportunity given to me,” she said.

Ward also shared how she got involved with horse racing.

“One morning, I went to the race track with my father (Rohan Ward) to visit a friend and we stopped for a while to watch the horses exercise. I was amazed with what I saw as I never actually saw racing horses before. After a while we headed to the stables of my father’s friend and on the way I saw a groom tending a horse and I asked the groom if I could touch the horse and he said yes. That was the first time I was touching a race horse,” Ward recalled.

“The way that horse responded to my first touch, I knew that there was something special between horses and myself. I ended up playing with that horse all day, and after some more visits to the track and being around these beautiful animals I fell in love with the sport,” the Camperdown High School graduate said.

Ward said that she has no regrets thus far.

“Trainer Patrick Lynch was my apprentice master. He is just a good person and I have learnt a lot from him. I then met other trainers. I have also been around Carl Anderson, who is also a good person as he took good care of me. I have no regrets coming to Caymanas Park,” she ended.

So come September of this year, the country’s lone female jockey, Georgina Sergeon, will have three talented female riders to contend with.