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By Ray Hickson

Anna Roper has set herself quite the task with rides at two venues on Saturday but she says it’s all part of a long term plan to have a shot at the 2024-25 Sydney apprentices title.

Apprentice Anna Roper (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The 21-year-old, who recently outrode her country claim, starts the day at Royal Randwick with rides on Chief Conductor in the Midway Handicap (1100m) and Rajnish in the TAB Highway (1200m) before heading to Kembla Grange for the final three races.

It’s been quite a whirlwind for Roper, who is indentured to Damien Lane at Wyong, since returning in July from nine months on the sidelines, after tearing two knee ligaments in a fall, so you can’t blame her for wanting to make up for lost time.

Aside from losing her country claim, she’s won a couple of Big Dance eligible country cups and notched her first city winners - most notably last Saturday at Randwick for Sara Ryan on Much Much Better.

“It’s been amazing, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. We’re trying to focus on the provincials but Sara had a nice runner in town so we thought we’d do the Midway and Highway then head to Kembla,’’ Roper said.

“There’s a horse of Damien’s I won on not long ago and she’s going to Kembla but she came up in race three. I’m gutted, I think she’s ready to win and I can’t ride her.

“There’s so many jockeys at the provincials at the moment, it’s hard to get a ride and it’s hard for apprentices to get a go.

“That’s why we’ve branched out a little bit into town now my claim is gone in the bush. We need to get some publicity and work our way into town to ride for trainers who are sending horses to the provincials.”

Roper described her absence due to the knee injury, which required surgery after three months when nature wasn’t doing its job, as one she didn’t need.

She sits alongside James McDonald and Adam Hyeronimus with 24 wins for the season and while she does want to be noticed in the city don’t expect to see her too often until at least the late winter.

“Ideally I’d like to get through my claim at the provincials so I don’t want to ride too many city winners and take it off my provincial claim,’’ she said.

“I’d like to focus on the state premiership as an apprentice and also the provincial premiership then next year to focus on the metropolitan premiership would be awesome.

“To go to town at the start of next season with 3kg would really help that.”

Her 3kg claim will come in handy on Chief Conductor in the Midway and it’s a ride that Roper can’t hide her excitement about.

The lightly raced gelding made a promising return running third at Warwick Farm on October 2 and the knowledge he would benefit from the run, plus an ideal draw, gives Roper confidence about his chances.

“I was very excited when the barriers came out, drawing wide in a Midway can be what defeats you,’’ she said.

“He’s going really well, I galloped him the other morning and I can only cross my fingers and hope. He should run well.”

That first-up run hasn’t been missed by the market, Chief Conductor was $2.90 favourite on Friday.

“Sara and I both had the same opinion, he was a little bit underdone going into it,’’ Roper said.

“He drew a wide barrier and he had to do a little bit of work to get across but his run was terrific.

“He’s got a lot of grit about him but he definitely felt the pinch that last 100m up against some nice horses.”

Chief Conductor's first-up run at Warwick Farm on October 2

Rajnish was one of a treble for Roper at the Coonamble Cup meeting earlier this month, that included the Cup on Hollywood Hero, and she’s interested to see how Cameron Crockett’s four-year-old fares in his first TAB Highway.

Again, the barriers have been kind after they were forced to go a bit of early work in the Crystal Sprint at Coonamble.

“He drew wide at Coonamble and had to a lot of work to get to outside lead. He was really tough late to hang on,’’ she said.

“I don’t know how he lines up against the other Highway horses but I say he’s quite a nice horse.

“He’s fit and healthy and with that win under his belt he’s got a bit of confidence about him. With the inside draw we can roll forward and he should be strong late.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting