3 months ago
3
By Craig Kerry
December 4, 2025 — 5.00pm
Jockey Siena Grima gained her love of horses from her father, but he tried his best to steer his daughter away from thoroughbred race riding. Siena, though, was determined from a young age to be a jockey, and go fast.
Siena Grima riding Travolta to a win at Rosehill Gardens earlier this year. Credit: Getty Images
Now the 23-year-old apprentice is just as determined to make the most of a dream opportunity with Sydney’s premier stable.
The Kempsey product started a three-month loan with Chris Waller at Rosehill on Thursday after moving from Tamworth, where she was indentured to Mel O’Gorman.
“It was good because it just confirmed that everything I’ve been working for is paying off,” said Grima, who will stay with Waller’s executive assistant, Sophie Baker, at Rosehill.
“It’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life, so now I’ve got one of the best stables in racing backing me, it just gives me that extra vote of confidence.
“Every time I’ve had anything to do with [Waller], he’s been super lovely, and it will be really great to see what we can put together during these three months.”
Siena Grima after winning with Travolta.Credit: Getty Images
Grima has racked up 116 winners in 22 months of racing, including 74 last season when she was the leading NSW apprentice on country tracks.
She came to the attention of champion former jockey Darren Beadman, who started working with Waller this season, and rode Tazima to victory on the Kensington track on August 13 with her first chance for the stable. A Saturday Rosehill win with stablemate Travolta followed and Waller has continued to provide opportunities for the three-kilogram claimer.
From the start, Grima wanted a loan period in Sydney for a chance to learn and prove herself in one of the world’s toughest riding jurisdictions. She knows the challenge ahead but is ready to take it on.
“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll still have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be around them and see how everything works, but I’ll be doing everything in my power to make sure it does work out,” she said.
“I’ve never really ridden work at Rosehill or Randwick, so it will definitely be eye-opening, but it’s the pinnacle of racing and it’s where I want to end up.”
Grima’s love of riding developed at an early age, as did her ambition to become a jockey, despite her dad Michael’s advice.
“My grandfather was the first one into horses and he always wanted to be a cowboy, so he did a bit of mustering and working with cattle,” she said.
“Then my dad got the bug and he was more into the rodeo side of things. Then I started out in pony club, did a bit of rodeoing, but then I went towards the showjumping and I did a lot of that.
“My grandfather was the first one into horses and he always wanted to be a cowboy.”
Jockey Siena Grima“I think I always wanted to [be a jockey], ever since I was a young kid. I’d watch the racehorse movies and I always loved going fast on my horses, but my dad was very adamant I wasn’t having anything to do with racehorses.
“He said it’s a really hard industry and you can get hurt, but I eventually wore him down and started track work when I was 19 or 20 and it took off from there.”
The opportunity with Waller brings with it the chance to learn more from Beadman and senior jockeys like James McDonald, who has just been crowned the world’s best for a third year and is halfway through a seven-week stint in Hong Kong.
“J-Mac helped me out when I rode Tazima,” she said.
“He rode up next to me when we were going to the barriers and said, ‘just enjoy it, have fun’. Things like that make it that much more special.
“Darren always gives me a call before the races to let me know if he’s going to be there, and just to chat about the ones I’m riding or even if he’s watched the races, he calls to chat to see where my mind is, how I thought I rode or to give some advice. It’s just really nice having him in my corner.”
Grima has three of her five rides for Waller at the Kensington meeting on Friday, then four for her new boss on Sunday’s rescheduled Rosehill program.
At Rosehill, she rides Full Hao ($3.10) in the second, Changing Colours ($9.50) in seventh, Mare Of Mt Buller ($13) in the eighth and Step Aside ($7.50) in the last for Waller.
“I’ve ridden a couple of them before, like Mare Of Mt Buller last start [when eighth at Newcastle,” she said.
“She put in a really nice run, it was just a shame she couldn’t get a split late because she was really finding the line nicely. Second-up, she will improve again.”
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