It may have only been his third runner as a co-trainer, but when Blazing Rebel kicked clear to pass the post a winner at Kilmore last week Matt Jenkins felt instant relief.
The Tatura-born-and-bred horse trainer finally had his licence ticked off and has joined the demanding and challenging industry alongside established trainer David Brideoake.
Blazing Rebel saluted in the Benchmark 58 (2007m) by almost two lengths in a win that Jenkins watched from trackside.
“That was the third runner of the partnership after we had two on the Wednesday before the Friday. It’s very exciting to get on the board and get the monkey off the back,” Jenkins said this week.
The relief that Jenkins speaks about is understood once you discover his path to last Friday’s win in race six at Kilmore.
The former jockey turned trainer almost waved goodbye to his dream of becoming a trainer last year.
Jenkins said he spent months questioning whether to make the leap into the training business.
“It’s taken longer than expected (to gain a training licence) partly due to my doing,” Jenkins said.
“There was a few months there where I really questioned whether this is what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life.
“It’s such a gruelling industry; you experience more downs than ups and there’s a lot of pressure and expectation involved.”
But it wasn’t until one fateful Saturday afternoon in November at his old stomping ground at Tatura, where he cut his teeth as an apprentice jockey with Gary Sherer, that he rediscovered the love for racing.
Jenkins helped assistant-train Turbeau to back-to-back Tatura Cup wins — which delivered Jenkins his third triumph in his home race.
“Winning the Tat Cup last year for the third time was the turning point for me,’’ he said.
“That was when I realised that this is what I love doing and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
“It can be such a demanding job ... the wins are really satisfying. The support I get from back home has been terrific. I’ve had great support from family and friends and they’ve been terrific to lean on during those tough times.”
With a couple of promising two-year-old runners in the stable, Jenkins is optimistic that the wins can continue to come for the Mornington-based training duo.
Jenkins and Brideoake will saddle up two runners at Ararat on Friday, while they are eyeing off a potential trip to Sydney later in the autumn.