Baker aiming to cook up winning recipe at Gollan stable

By Jordan Gerrans

Champion Tasmanian apprentice Chelsea Baker admits it was a ‘pinch yourself' moment when she was offered the chance to work for leading Queensland trainer Tony Gollan.

The 22-year-old says she is desperate to take the opportunity in the Sunshine State with both hands and make a name for herself after taking up an initial three-month loan period with the premier Brisbane trainer.

If all goes to plan, the Tasmanian native is keen to stick around in Queensland longer than the loan period.

She kicks off her riding tenure in the state this week with a strong book of rides at Toowoomba’s Clifford Park on Saturday evening.

Baker was previously indentured to her father Barry – who prepares a small team of gallopers - in northern Tasmania.

It was a culture shock over the last week when she started at the busy Gollan barn at Eagle Farm that has a sizeable number of horses in work compared to what she was used to back home.

She has been in Brisbane for just over a week.

“It is definitely different, the big stable dynamic - I am not used to it at all,” Baker said.

“But, I am really enjoying it. It is so far so good, I am really enjoying the workload.

“The opportunity that I have been given is a bit of a pinch me moment up here with Tony and his stable.

“It was a short turnaround when I was offered it to actually moving up here but it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.

“Tony is a successful trainer and the fact that he was willing to take me on really excited me and had me keen towards the future of my career.

"I’m in with a good camp, so hopefully I can capitalise on the opportunity and kick home a few winners.”

Baker heads to Ipswich with one ride for her boss on Friday afternoon before heading up the hill on Saturday.

As well as Baker’s northern shift, the Gollan camp has also recently welcomed Emily Lang to the stable for the 2024-25 racing campaign.

Lang previously worked for the now dissolved partnership of Steven O'Dea and Matthew Hoysted and is likely to take on plenty of city opportunities for Gollan whereas Baker will work through her provincial claim.

“It is great to have Chelsea on board with the team, she has done a really good job down in Tassie,” Gollan said.

“She is a provincial apprentice. You will see her riding a lot for the team.”

Baker is born and raised in Tasmania and has grown up around the industry with her parents long involved with the sport.

In her three campaigns riding she has tallied 98 winners with a career high of 35 last season.

A northern move made sense for the young rider so she could work through her provincial claim.

She will claim two kilograms at provincial level.

“I was getting a bit stuck back home because I had outridden my country claim,” Baker said.

“I was not struggling for rides in the last two seasons – I was the jockey that had the most rides – but I was lacking a bit of quality.

“I wanted to see if I could further progress and I was speaking to Dale Spriggs and Stephen Maskiell – the apprentice coaches in Tassie – and Dale actually came up here and mentioned my name to Tony and was asking if there would be an opportunity there.

“And, it has just taken off from there really.”

Baker was Tasmania’s leading apprentice for the 2022-23 season and finished second in the apprentice title last campaign.

She was crowned the dux of the Tasmanian apprentice program the last two years.

The lightweight hoop is keen to remain in Queensland for the foreseeable future if all goes well over the next three months.

“I’ll be putting all my eggs in the basket while I’m here and be giving it all I’ve got,” Baker said.

“If it does work out, I would definitely like to stay on longer than three months.

“If I can stay with Tony longer than the three months I would be pretty happy with that.”

Baker heads to the Darling Downs on Saturday evening for five rides including one for her new master and three for Paul Wallace.

“The rides I have earlier in the program look like good rides,” Baker said.

“I have a few rides for Paul Wallace and all his runners have reasonable form so fingers crossed I can ride them well and get a result.”