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By Graeme White

Like any proud father, Greg Cornish wants to see his daughter Jasmine accomplish her goals in her chosen career and she is certainly keeping up her end of the bargain.

The 19-year-old apprentice jockey will have five rides at Ballina on Thursday including three for her father – Dream Entity ($5.50 on TAB), Missie Archer ($11) and Ice Elite ($5).

Former jockey Greg does have some anxious times watching Jasmine ride, but he is content knowing she is reaching her potential in quick fashion and making her mark.

“She has been around horses from day one and it does probably help having both her father and mother as former jockeys,” he said. “She has ridden ten winners in a few months and about five or six of those have been for me.”

Jasmine’s mother, Sheree Drake, was a more than accomplished jockey with 344 winners to her name from more than 4500 rides. Jasmine has just started her journey and Greg hopes she can continue to make inroads.

“I believe it’s an accomplishment to have your daughter ride as well as she can at such a young age,” he said. “We are bringing these horses two and a half hours from Beaudesert to Ballina so she can ride them in the country where she is eligible to ride.

“It’s all about placing your horses where they can do their best. I had four horses in, but Hoofprint has drawn wide and will be scratched.”

Cornish doesn’t travel often into NSW, but when he does his horses invariably finish in the prizemoney and he expects the same on Thursday. His past 11 starters have produced three winners and six placings and he hopes there will be similar results returned from his consistent trio.

Dream Entity has finished second at her past three starts for owner Gary Galbraith who also owns the stable’s other two runners. Cornish said on form Dream Entity was his best chance, but also rates his other runners as competitive chances.

“She is the best of my three on form, but the other two are also racing well,” he said. “Dream Entity is looking for a bit more distance so the extra bit to 1300 metres is suitable.

“Ice Elite steps up to the mile and that will suit. He has been a slow maturing horse who is improving all of the time.”

Ice Elite has been placed at six of his 15 starts and finished second at his previous start over 1600 metres at Ballina. The five-year-old finds another suitable race and will carry the lightest weight in the field of 52 kilograms after Jasmine’s three-kilogram claim.

Missie Archer is first-up after 13 months off the scene and will also be having her first start for new trainer Cornish in the XXXX Gold Benchmark 66 (1000m). Missie Archer has won three times and been placed on seven occasions from 20 starts.

“She has potential and is a bit of a dark horse. She has had a few problems and will improve on the run after bene off the scene for more than a year,” he said.

Cornish has prepared three winners this month and his recent statistics give him a second to none chance of possibly breaking through with one of his maiden gallopers.

Jasmine’s strike-rate so early in her career has been impressive with a further 30 placings from 89 rides. While they are yet to win, Dream Entity and Ice Elite are well fancied in betting and have found suitable races.

“I’m confident my three can all be in the placings as most of my horses have been of late,” he added.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Ballina here