Luke Cartwright has already been crowned the champion of the 2023-24 RMBL Investments Rising Stars Series, but he is still determined to finish on a high when Flemington hosts the finale of the apprentice-only series this Saturday, 20 July.
Cartwright’s win in the penultimate leg at Seymour earlier this month meant that he could not be caught at the top of the leaderboard, having already amassed 81 points, which included three other series victories at Benalla (September 2023), Warrnambool (March 2024), and Ballarat (April 2024).
The 18-year-old, who is in the second year of his apprenticeship, will ride four-year-old mare Fearless Writer for Cranbourne trainer Adrian McGregor in the $80,000 Rising Stars Final, a Benchmark 78 over 1600m.
Regardless of the result on Saturday, Cartwright will deservedly walk away with a $3,000 retail voucher and the Rising Stars trophy after defeating his rivals across a 23-race series, which began at Bendigo last year.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to win this series, and something that I’ve targeted ever since I started riding,” said the rising hoop whose older brother Matthew Cartwright is also a winner of the series (2021/22).
“It’s good to join my brother on the honour roll in a series that’s not easy to win. With a few more years left in my apprenticeship, I’d love to target it again next year, and even try and go back-to-back.
“It’s going to be my first-time riding at Flemington on Saturday, as well as my first ride in town. I want to show everyone what I have got, ride to the best of my ability, and be right thereabouts at the finish.”
His nearest rival, Alysha Warren (58 points), whose four victories in the series came at Bendigo, Terang and twice at Benalla, will also be making her metropolitan debut in the final, riding Danny O’Brien’s mare Pitchanun who finished second in the race in 2023. A victory here will secure her a second-place finish in the series, as well as the biggest prize cheque of her career.
Tom Prebble (50 points) will also give himself a chance to clinch a second-place finish in the series, if he was to claim his first-ever winner at headquarters on Saturday. He will be full of confidence leading into his second Flemington ride, having won metro races at the past two Sportsbet-Sandown midweek meetings. He will pilot the Luke Oliver-trained Spanish Tides.
Sheridan Clarke (43 points) is also in with an outside chance of a top three finish but would require victory aboard current race emergency Toropeak, trained by Shane Nichols.
Although there is no chance for Rose Hammond (riding She’s Pretty Rich) and Caitlin Hollowood (Korobeiniki) to finish inside the top three in the series, they still have plenty on the line. Both will be riding at Flemington for the first time and aiming to put their name up in lights for future opportunities.
Last year’s Rising Stars Series winner, Celine Gaudray, who currently sits in fourth place in the Victoria Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership, will be riding the Price-Kent-trained Our Empress Zoe, who she steered to victory last start at Sportsbet-Pakenham.
Gaudray is one of only three riders in the field to have won at Flemington, the others being Tatum Bull (Binding) and Jaylah Kennedy (Arqana).
The RMBL Investments Rising Stars Series Final, which is the fourth race on the program at Flemington, is scheduled to start at 1:50pm.
Points are awarded in each leg of the series for the top five placings, with 12 points for first, six for second, four for third, two for fourth and one point for fifth place.
RMBL Investments Rising Stars Series Top 5
- Luke Cartwright - 81 points
- Alysha Warren - 58 points
- Tom Prebble - 50 points
- Dakotah Keane - 46 points
- Sheridan Clarke - 43 points