Overview
- On Saturday, October 3, 24-year-old apprentice Siena Grima rode God’s Window to victory in the A$1.5 million Epsom Handicap, marking her first Group 1 ride and the first time an apprentice has won the race since 1981.
- God’s Window, a six-year-old Dubawi gelding imported from England, started at long odds near $26, came from last at the top of the straight to win, and recorded his first stakes race victory while carrying 50 kilograms.
- Trainer Chris Waller described the result as emotional and the win gave him his seventh Epsom triumph, equalling the long-standing training record held by Tommy Smith.
- Grima’s rise was credited to mentorship in Waller’s Sydney stable and guidance from Hall of Fame jockey Darren Beadman after she relocated from Tamworth late last year.
- The same Randwick meeting saw Ciaron Maher’s Juja Kibo win the Group 2 Metropolitan and connections said they will now consider pathways to the Melbourne Cup, including whether to target lead-up races such as the Caulfield Cup.