Warrnambool’s Charlie Brooks achieved a longtime dream on Saturday, the 17-year-old Emmanuel College student taking his first race rides as a jockey at Woolamai’s picnic race meeting.
Brooks, son of Warrnambool trainer John Brooks, is Victoria’s youngest licensed jockey and looking forward to more rides on the picnic circuit.
“It was a really exciting day,” he said. “I’m grateful to the trainers that gave me a ride. 
“I’ve always wanted to be a jockey since I was a young boy working in Dad’s stables but I was going to be too big and too heavy so I decided to go down the picnic path. 
“There was a lot of red tape I had to go through before I got licensed but that’s all behind me. I just want to ride at the picnics and I can’t wait to boot home my first winner.”
Brooks said numerous people had helped him realise his riding dream.
“My parents have been wonderful ,” he said. 
“I’ve been lucky to have had so much support from so many people. People like (Warrnambool trainer) Quinton Scott have been amazing and so has (Mornington trainer) Tony Noonan. Tony, his son Jake and the staff at his stables have been great. 
“It was wonderful to have (ex-jockey) Peter Hutchinson there to help me with my nerves on Saturday. I got a message from Craig Williams on Saturday morning — that was really special, as I knew he was riding at the big meeting in Sydney.”
No one can deny the hard work Brooks has put in. 
He was at Cranbourne races on Friday night before riding five horses in track work at Mornington on Saturday morning then having three race rides at Woolamai in the afternoon. 
On Sunday he ventured to Mount Gambier to ride one horse in a trial after the race meeting.
“I just love being involved with the horses,” he said. “I’m trying to get the message out there to trainers and owners that I’m available to ride in jumpouts and trials.”
Brooks will be hoping to keep up the momentum at coming picnic meetings at Healesville this Saturday and Balnarring on Saturday week. His three rides at Woolamai yielded a sixth, a seventh and an eighth.
Duke has defence on track
Reigning Grand Annual and Brierly Steeplechase winner Duke Of Bedford is on track to defend both titles at this year’s Warrnambool carnival after a second placing on the flat at Echuca last Saturday.
Having his second flat run of the preparation for Stawell trainer Andrew Bobbin, Duke Of Bedford finished three-quarters of a length behind Flash Of Dallas in Saturday’s benchmark 56 over 2124 metres.
“We’re on track for another tilt at the Brierly-Annual double,” Bobbin said. 
“We’re just putting the miles in his legs on the flat to have him ready. I think he’ll have another two flat runs and three steeple trials then we’ll be right.”
From 32 starts Duke Of Bedford has won eight races and collected $453,060 in stakes. His 12 starts in steeplechases have yielded six wins, two seconds, a third, two fourths and a sixth.