Norm Gardner hopes his apprentice jockey Rochelle Wedrat-Kroezen has a sensational debut - just as long as she doesn't win The Federal.
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That would mean she's beaten his own horse in the benchmark 70 (1000 metres) at Canberra's Thoroughbred Park on Friday.
Wedrat-Kroezen's been with the Canberra trainer for about 18 months and has ridden about 25 trials.
Now she'll get her chance to shine at the races for the first time with four rides throughout the day.
She's on Gardner's Markova in the last race, but also on Gratz Vella's topweight Major Time in the Federal.
If she salutes then she'll have beaten her boss's Devine Miss, who Gardner ranks as his best chance of the day.
"My young apprentice is going to have her first ride Friday," Gardner said.
"This is her first few rides so she's all excited about that.
"She's been with me for about 18 months now. I'm very pleased with her progress.
"She's going well. I think down the track she'll make the grade, but you've got to start somewhere.
"She's a very hard worker. She rides a lot of trackwork and she deserves her chances.
"Let's hope [she goes well. But] let's hope she doesn't win the Federal because if she does she'll beat me."
Devine Miss was also nominated to run at Rosehill on Saturday, but she'll stay in Canberra instead after drawing barrier 15 in Sydney.
Her stablemate Miss Ostend was also nominated for the same Highway Handicap (1200m), but she'll head to Melbourne to compete against her same sex and age group instead.
Gardner felt she was well-placed for the benchmark 78 (1400m) at Flemington where she's a $23 outsider.
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"She's going down there because she's a Super VOBIS horse and if she happens to win I think it's about a $35,000 bonus," he said.
"And she's up against her own age and sex so she'll be half a chance.
"I'm very happy with her. Last prep she just never came up - we don't know why - and this prep the only black marker against her was on a very, very heavy track at Randwick [where she finished seventh], but apart from that all her runs have been super."
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