The last thing Cejay Graham wanted to do was disobey instructions when she had one of her rare rides for the Waller stable at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. She was asked to get Accountability moving from the 600m mark in the Kia Hcp, but circumstances played against her.
At that point of the race the apprentice was tucked away three back on the fence on the imported gelding, with the favourite Stockman on her outside. Cejay was able to leave the rail as Stockman took off, but was then committed to staying where she was in the hope a gap would appear on straightening up. That gap that took a long time to present itself.
She was able to push between Time Raid and Bebeautiful inside the 200m, and Accountability showed a turn of foot you wouldn’t expect to see on a Heavy 9 surface. In recording his second win in nine starts, the son of Dubawi beat Stockman and his stablemate Vegas Jewel.
Cejay wins on Accountability at only her fifth ride for the Waller stable - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Observers said Chris Waller was clearly impressed with the young jockey’s cool headed ride, and the manner in which she expressed herself after the race. “He listened intently to what I had to say, and simply told me I will reap the rewards if I continue to work hard,” said Cejay.
Accountability was the apprentice’s fifth ride for the leading stable. She recalls having been unplaced on two Waller runners in the city earlier this year, before “fluking” a win on Castlecomer at Gosford in July. “Casey Waddell had been engaged for the horse but fell ill early in the day and I happened to be the next apprentice in line,” recalled Cejay.
“It was almost three months before Mr. Waller gave me another ride, and that resulted in a second on Pancho at Randwick behind a nice horse in Purple Sector. It was a pleasant surprise when I got the call to ride Accountability on Saturday.”
A winner and two placings from four rides on Saturday was in direct contrast to the bitter disappointment Cejay experienced on Melbourne Cup day. She was looking forward to seven rides at Kembla Grange, but was stunned when six of them were scratched as a result of very heavy track conditions. “My only surviving ride Virgilio was beaten narrowly by Speed And Style,” she said. “I’d won a couple of races on Virgilio at Kembla earlier this year for Kerry Parker. Pity we couldn’t get the treble.”
All smiles after a win on Mayaaseh at Goulburn - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Sheer homesickness was the principal reason for Cejay’s recent move back to her hometown of Port Macquarie after eighteen fruitful months with Peter and Paul Snowden at Randwick. Thanks to the support of Team Snowden and several other trainers, the talented apprentice won more than fifty races including ten on metropolitan tracks. Her career tally now stands at 148 since beginning her apprenticeship with John Sprague at Port Macquarie.
“I’ll be forever grateful to Peter and Lyn Snowden who looked after me like one of the family during my time in Sydney,” said Cejay. “Early days they let me live in a flat underneath their home and were always there whenever I needed support and guidance. From a racing viewpoint I couldn’t have had a better tutor than Peter Snowden.”
When Cejay’s partner Kirk Matheson moved to Sydney to work for Team Snowden the couple moved into their own accommodation at Eastgardens. Kirk, a former successful northern rivers jockey hadn’t ridden in races since suffering severe lacerations to the liver and several broken ribs in a race fall at Grafton early in 2018.
“It took him six months to get over the injuries, during which time his weight soared,” said Cejay. “He’d pretty well given up on the idea of returning to race riding, but decided to accept the job with Team Snowden as a work rider. It wasn’t long before the bug bit again and he got serious about losing weight. He moved back to Port Macquarie and is riding all over the place with plenty of success. Obviously his move back to the coast influenced my decision to come home.”
Cejay wins on Bacinblac for Ron Quinton at Kembla 05/11/2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It’s well documented that Cejay is the daughter of Peter Graham, one of the most successful country based jockeys of his generation. Never wanting to leave his Port Macquarie home Peter has covered vast mileage in a thirty five year career which has yielded 2300 winners. He rode trackwork alongside his daughter for close to two years, painstakingly coaching her on the finer points of riding thoroughbreds.
“Dad hasn’t ridden for many months now following a trackwork accident at Wauchope,” said Cejay. “ He has a condition commonly known as frozen shoulder, which is taking forever to come right. Although in his early fifties he’s as keen as ever and can’t wait to ride in races again. He wants to take advantage of the dual jockey/trainer licencing system approved by Racing NSW two years ago.”
Cejay’s brother Jesse rode a number of winners on northern tracks before discovering there’s a life away from racing. “He rode very capably but weight was always going to be a problem,” said his 50kg sister. “He decided to make an early exit.”
Sixteen year old Rori Graham has shown no interest in becoming a jockey, but is as natural a rider as you’ll ever see. Her stellar pony club career has transitioned into her current prominence on the north coast showjumping circuit. “When I left for Sydney eighteen months ago I asked her to look after a lovely grey off the track thoroughbred we’d been gifted,” said the jockey. “His name is Net Worth, he’s by Fastnet Rock and won six races including one at Warwick Farm. Rori has turned him into a super jumper, clearly claiming ownership during my absence. I’ll be lucky to get a ride on him.”
Cejay’s mother Sally was a very capable rider in childhood days, but nowadays prefers to watch it all unfold. She’s obviously an avid Sky Racing viewer whenever husband and daughter compete on the racetrack.
A proud day for the Graham family at Port Macquarie 2017. Jesse, Cejay and Peter all had rides on the programme - courtesy Trackside Photography.
Those who closely observed Cejay Graham’s first winning ride at Armidale on May 30th 2017, were not surprised when she was crowned champion NSW country apprentice the following season. She rode Marlz Magic for trainer Graham Payne in a race over the Armidale Cup distance of 1900m. She negotiated the mare safely around the notoriously tight first turn before settling three back on the fence.
The tiny apprentice remained in control when Marlz Magic started to overrace in the middle stages, but had her travelling generously as they came down the famous Armidale hill to the hometurn. With the anticipation of a much more experienced rider, the little girl from Port Macquarie secured a rails run as the leader shifted out and went on to win clearly . Peter Graham who notched a winning double on the same day, couldn’t have ridden Marlz Magic better.
Cejay answered in a flash when quizzed about her favourite horse at this early stage of her career. She nominated the four year old I Am Invincible mare Madam Legend who is the winner of four races from eight starts so far. Cejay has been on board in all four wins, three at Newcastle and one on the Kensington track. “Not only is she naturally talented, but she’s the sweetest mare to ride or handle.
“I have Carmel Size to thank for my lucky association with Madam Legend,” said Cejay. “I ride some work for Les Bridge at Randwick and see a lot of Carmel at the track. She manages all of Bon Ho’s horses in Australia and I’m sure she put in a word for me when Madam Legend was ready to race. I’ve also had the pleasure of riding Classique Legend several times in his Sunday morning exercise. With jockeys so scarce on Sundays I was happy to go in and bowl him around when required. I’ll be dining out on that for a long time to come.”
The 160cm dynamo has a soft spot for a handful of horses who’ve played a part in establishing her place among Sydney’s top apprentices. One of those horses is obviously Man of Peace who led all the way to give Cejay her first Saturday metropolitan win at Randwick in January of this year. Team Snowden’s Military Magic provided the young jockey with a thrilling hat trick at the end of 2019, winning two at Kembla and one at Canterbury. The Friday night win at Canterbury was actually her first city success, and she made it a double in the very next race on the Richard Litt trained Handfast.
Cejay's first Saturday metro winner. Man of Peace holds off Nicochet (Kathy O'Hara) - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The little girl from Port Macquarie has crammed a lot of experience into her three and a half years as an apprentice jockey. That experience clearly showed as she rode Accountability with composure beyond her years on Saturday. It’s hard to find that kind of talent with a tantalising 3kg claim to go with it.
Cejay wins a BM 64 on Weekend Affair at Kembla for trainer Jason Coyle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Cejay has had 4 rides for 4 wins on the promising Madam Legend - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)