Lizzie Annells’ Tasmanian adventure is about to become permanent. The apprentice jockey is planning a move to the Apple Isle in March, to ride for trainer Sarah Cotton.
The decision came about after she recorded her first Tasmanian double at Hobart on Sunday.
"I've been umming and ahhing for a while. I was actually going to take March off and have some surgery on my wrist and spend that time deciding what to do but my wrist has actually been fine," said Lizzie Annells.
"So I just thought you know I've been struggling for quite a while here in Adelaide, I'm a fourth year apprentice and I've only got 48 wins now so I've got nothing to lose and I really love it down there so I'll give it a go.
"I'll be looking to team up with Sarah Cotton, she has been my main supporter and she is a very, very sharp trainer.
"She has only got a small team. I have to have a bit of a laugh actually, I was going to ask the question at the end of the meeting on Sunday where she is actually the Clerk of the Course and she was the one that got me the ride on my first winner of the day, Yanosha. And she pulled up next to me to take me back to scale and she said, 'for goodness sake Lizzie just come and join us we've been waiting for you.' And I was a bit like oh OK, I was going to ask, I didn't realise you guys were waiting.
"Apparently I was the last to get the memo. So they're really excited to have me down there and I'm really excited to be there so looking forward to it," she said.
After getting the winning double on Sunday aboard Yanosha and Dark Wanderer, Annells is an outside chance of getting a ride in the Launceston Cup and the Hobart Cup which are both in February.
She's been racking up the frequent flyer points in recent months, making the most of an opportunity that initially came about because of Covid.
"I first started going down to Tasmania about June/July last year and it was actually a lucky chance that it all worked out. Siggy Carr unfortunately got Covid and Tas Racing called Dean Pettit and said look can you just send a kid over who wants to give it a crack. Dean knew I'd been working very hard and wanted to give me an opportunity, and my very first ride was Fairy Magic so that's worked out very well.
"I'm very grateful for how it's going down there. It's always handy being the new person on the scene everyone wants to give you a go. It's a really beautiful place especially Hobart, I like the track, it's just something different, and it's nice to go down there and have a bit of confidence and get some results.
"I think half of the top ten leading jockeys down there are apprentices and I think I fit in quite well. Obviously Siggy Carr is there and she is very experienced, and Teagan (Voorham) came from there and Raquel (Clark) came from there so it's a good place to go, and Sarah is committed to the cause so I think it's going to work out very well."
For now Annells will continue to plug away in South Australia and has five rides in Ceduna on Saturday. She hopes to get a metro win in South Australia before she moves.
