9 APPRENTICES RISING TO THE CHALLENGE in February. She told Racing.com that winning the series was a goal she’d set with her manager, and that all three of her series wins came aboard Moody- and Coleman-trained horses – which was especially pleasing, given her ties to the stable. Pozman joins a list of past winners that includes Luke and Matthew Cartwright, Beau Mertens, Ethan Brown, Campbell Rawiller, Celine Gaudray and, last year, her friend Tom Prebble. Her boss, Peter Moody, agreed the result reflected hard work: “She's worked very hard,” he said. Pos Apprentice Jockey Points 1 Emily Pozman 68 2 Olivia East 38 3 Sam Kennedy 34 4 Rose Hammond 30 4 Ryan Houston 30 4 Caitlin Hollowood 30 7 Luke Cartwright 29 8 Nadia Daniels 26 9 Christopher Pang 24 10 Brittany Button 21 2025/26 RMBL INVESTMENTS RISING STARS SERIES LEADERBOARD (as of July 9 2026) WHY IT MATTERS Beyond the prizemoney – a retail voucher for the winner, with smaller vouchers for placegetters – the series’ real value lies in the opportunities it opens up. Because the races are restricted to apprentices, trainers choose from that pool rather than a senior rider, giving young jockeys genuine rides they might not otherwise get. Pozman agrees, saying it’s valuable precisely because it gets apprentices riding at tracks and for trainers they perhaps wouldn’t otherwise cross paths with. LEARNING FROM THE BEST Much of the credit for the depth of talent coming through belongs to Racing Victoria’s Apprentice Jockey Training Program, and the coaching team who run it – chief among them Darren Gauci, RV’s Apprentice Jockey Coach, who works alongside fellow coach Matthew Pumpa on technique, race craft and the pressures of the job. Gauci retired from the saddle in 2017 after more than three decades, 2,500 winners and 35 Group 1 victories, and as an apprentice set the Australian record of 506 wins – which he still holds. “It’s the future for our talent coming through. It also gives the apprentices a little bit of camaraderie during the series. At times it gets very close, and it’s exciting. It also gives them the opportunity to ride at Flemington for the first time,” Gauci said. “It’s very competitive here in Victoria, and rides aren’t going to be handed to them. When the series gives them a bigger opportunity and
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