It’s been a tough ride, but Naracoorte’s Racheal Kraemer is not giving up.

The 29-year-old has made it to the prestigious Racing SA Apprentice Academy, a journey filled with optimism, love, and passion to do something in life.

Sharing her story with The [Naracoorte Community] News, Racheal said she was excited to be part of the program, which meant the whole world to her.

After being knocked back in 2022 due to injuries, Rachael worked incredibly hard for boss Sue Murphy to develop her riding.

“It’s not been an easy ride, but I appreciate everyone persisting with me and helping me through it, especially my Naracoorte community,” she said.

Racheal’s journey started when she started working with Sue Jaensch at Cadgee Park Racing.

“She taught me absolutely everything she could and was a fantastic mentor throughout for 10 years, on and off, between working in local shearing sheds,” she shared.

From there, Racheal moved to Sydney and rode for James and Bart Cummings as trackwork rider, at Caulfield for Mick Price as a stable hand, for Ciaron Maher as a trackwork rider and lead pony rider, for Bryon Cozamanis Snr as a trackwork rider, and now back in Naracoorte to pursue her apprenticeship.

She said her journey would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the support and love of her Naracoorte community.

“I now work predominantly for Sue Murphy, and she’s taught me a lot about patience and being polished with my craft.”

She said the frequently asked question she got was, who would she like to thank?

“All the many lovely people that have helped me in the local area. It’s just phenomenal.

“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else because everyone’s just fantastic here.

“Massive thank you to Andrew and Rick Pitt and Deanna Storch for providing me with a place to live as I pursue my dream.”

To get to this point, Racheal shared that she had to complete 98 jump-outs scattered across Victoria and South Australia to compose her riding and polish her techniques in the saddle.

“I’ve had a lot of support from trainers in the area from Bordertown, Naracoorte, Mount Gambier, and Millicent, and it’s just been lovely to have such a lovely team of people behind me.

“I’ve had a couple of injuries that sent me back and made the journey longer than it had to be, but

I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to use my body correctly so that I’m stronger for the finished product.”

Racheal will spend four years as an apprentice at the academy.

This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.