Eighteen months into her riding career, Northern New South Wales product Sam Kennedy is proving that a bold move across Bass Strait can change everything. Kennedy began her apprenticeship with Victorian trainer Matt Laurie, and is now indentured in Victoria to trainer Dylan Dunn, but with opportunities scarce, she decided to try her luck in Tasmania — a move that has proved pivotal to her development.

This season alone, Kennedy has ridden 25 winners in Tasmania, continuing the momentum she built from day one. She commenced race riding on 28 October 2024 at Benalla and struck immediately, winning aboard Sea Mist on debut. Since then, she has amassed 51 career victories, an impressive return for a rider still in the early stages of her apprenticeship.

Despite her success on the Apple Isle, Kennedy continues to face limited opportunities back in Victoria. After winning on Jed’s Jet in Hobart on Sunday, she travelled to Mornington the following day for just four rides, before heading to Donald for three mounts.

As she told Racing.com, “It’s hard to learn and improve your race riding here in Victoria with limited opportunities, while in Tassie I’m getting pretty much a full book of rides.”

Temple’s career began in October last year, and she has already ridden nine winners. With a valuable 3kg claim, she is expected to be in strong demand among Tasmanian trainers throughout the winter months.