There will be no jockey more grateful than KC Walters to hear the gates open in race 1 at Riverton today.
Walters (25) has his first race-day ride over the obstacles today after riding 71 winners on the flat between 2008 and 2014.
While he had almost 840 starts in the saddle on the flat, Walters - who works for Wingatui trainer Terry Kennedy - reckons the heart will be beating a little quicker when his mount Confused is loaded first for the restricted open hurdle.
‘‘As soon as that back gate shuts, that's when it will all kick in,'' Walters said.
‘‘When they open, I'll be sweet.''
Walters planned to try jumps riding last season, but shoulder surgery forced him to put his plans on the back burner.
However, Walters has had great grounding to join the fearless fraternity of jumps jockeys, having completed his apprenticeship with former top rider Neill Ridley and having Kennedy, Brian Anderton and Shane Anderton as sounding boards at Wingatui.
‘‘BJ is the one who has been pushing me to do it, but it's always been on the bucket list to have a go,'' Walters explained.
‘‘I've been very lucky with Terry being an ex-jumps jockey, Shane has given me advice, and Terry's brother Peter, so I've been very fortunate. And I was apprenticed to Neill.
‘‘I've only done a lot of schooling this year but I'm learning all the time.''
Walters is hoping Confused gets around safely in the hurdle, after having just one hurdle start two years ago, but is excited to be riding Keep It Tight, the winner of three steeplechase races including the 2014 Great Western and Otago steeplechases.
‘‘He gets 63kg with my 3kg claim - he's definitely a good chance.''
Walters will travel to Riverton today with Kennedy, who is organising Walters' rides.
‘‘He's going to take me for a walk around the chase course.''
Walters was originally going to ride Grand National Steeplechase winner High Forty in the hurdle, but the 9yr-old was scratched from a warm-up run at Wingatui last week.
‘‘He had a bit of an accident in the trailer float and kicked over the partition,'' co-trainer Brian Anderton said.
‘‘He's all right - he hasn't missed any work - but I was in no hurry to run him. We've got all season in front of us.''
Anderton has the Great Western Steeplechase at Riverton on May 22 in mind for High Forty, but is yet to figure out concrete plans after that.
‘‘We've had a look at programmes in Australia and so forth but I don't know if he would be fast enough for those horses over there,'' he said.
‘‘But we'll work it out as we go - we've got a few options. This year, if we get to the National, then he could carry on to the Northern, which we didn't do last year as we felt he had done enough for the season, so that's an option.''
