Matamata horsewoman Chelsea Burdan will line-up her first runner as a trainer this week, albeit a few years earlier than anticipated.
The 23-year-old former jockey’s riding career was cut short three years ago through injury, and while disappointed she can no longer compete in the saddle, she is looking forward to trying her hand at another aspect of the industry.
“It (training) is something that I have always wanted to do, as well as being a jockey,” Burdan said.
Burdan recorded 63 wins in the saddle over four seasons before breaking her collarbone in a race fall at Waverley in December 2020, which resulted in multiple surgeries and subsequently brought an end to her jockey dream.
“I had a fall that ended my career and I wasn’t able to come back (riding) due to too many complications with my shoulder,” Burdan said.
“I broke my clavicle in 2020, so I had quite a bit of time off with that and had surgery. I rebroke it twice. They (surgeons) left it to see whether it would heal on its own and eventually it got cleared.
“They thought it had healed, so I made a return and rode four winners over three months and I was having a lot of pain during that time. I went back and had it looked at again, and it turned out it hadn’t healed, and it had broken more and had separated completely.
“I always thought that with the number of surgeries I have had on my collarbone I would be sorted, but I have had four surgeries now and they just can’t seem to get it right.”
Burdan said she really enjoyed her time in the saddle, where she was presented the Most Promising Apprentice Jockey Award following her first season of riding and won the 2019-20 Linda Jones Trophy for Most Outstanding Female Apprentice, and admits it is still a tough pill to swallow that she isn’t out competing on raceday.
“It took a good 18 months to get over it and realise I wasn’t able to go back,” she said. “I do miss it. I get a bit sad watching the races, I try not to watch too many because I do get quite upset about it still.”
Burdan has tried to find a silver lining and, in the process, has launched a successful pre-training and breaking in business, and is excited to take the next step in her career by becoming a trainer.
“I started the breaking in and pre-training business in January 2022,” she said. “I have been going with that for a while and towards the end of last year I decided I wanted to look at getting my trainer’s licence.”
With a view to training, Burdan kept a close eye on gavelhouse.com earlier this year to try and find a suitable candidate for her racing team, and she took a liking to a three-year-old Wrote filly and was rapt to secure her with a final bid of $600.
“I liked her breeding and the family seems to be doing alright. I thought you can’t go wrong with $600, you might as well give it a go,” she said.
Burdan named the filly Stumblin Ona Dream (NZ) (Wrote) and after three trials she is set to make her debut in the Waharoa Transport Co. (1995) LTD 1200 at Matamata on Wednesday.
Burdan is more hopeful than confident ahead of lining up her first starter, but she is looking forward to returning to compete on raceday, albeit this time cheering from the sideline.
“I am more nervous than anything,” she said. “I think the (Heavy10) track will be too testing for her. I just really want to see her get back in the field and then run on. In all of her trials she has jumped and led, which just doesn’t teach her anything. I was going to trial her again, but I have elected to run her at the races. It will be good to get a line on her and see where we are at.”
Burdan is currently working a race team of three, but said she is kept very busy with her business as well as preparing for showjumping events.
“I have three racehorses in work, but I do a lot of pre-training for the likes of Wexford, Te Akau and a few other small clients,” she said. “I have about 19 in work, so it keeps me pretty busy. I have still got my showjumpers as well.”
Progeny of Ribchester complete Burdan’s three-strong racing team, and she said she is particularly taken by a juvenile filly she purchased for $5,000 out of Leanach Lodge’s New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft earlier this year.
The filly is out of Fun Seeker, a half-sister to dual Group One winner Lizzie L’Amour, and Burdan is hopeful she can make it to the races later this season.
“She has had two preps and she has shown plenty, she is just taking a little while maturity-wise,” Burdan said. “She has just been tipped out for a spell this week for a couple of weeks. She is one that we definitely like and she is a late two-year-old, early three-year-old prospect. She is a lovely horse.”
Showjumping has been a lifelong passion for Burdan, and she continues to enjoy competing with a couple of off the track thoroughbreds.
She qualified for Horse of the Year earlier this year but was unable to compete due to undergoing surgery in March, and she said she is hungry to head to next year’s event.
“I have two ex-racehorses, Spellcraft and Cyclonic King, so I tackle the thoroughbred series with them,” she said.
“We qualified this year, but I wasn’t able to make it to Horse of the Year with my injury. It is something that I am looking at chasing hard this year, as well as the racing.”
Spellcraft and Cyclonic King are not the only retired racehorses under Burdan’s care, with Group One performer Battle Time a clear favourite in her stable.
The 12-year-old grey gelding had a pleasing career on the track, winning eight races, including the Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m), and was runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 Diamond Stakes (1200m) for trainers Tim and Margaret Carter.
Burdan rode the son of Battle Paint on 13 occasions and developed a soft spot for the Group One performer.
“He was very good to me,” she said. “He is now the pony here at home. I was very lucky to get him when he retired. He helps out with the breakers and teaching people how to ride.”
Burdan is looking forward to having her name in the racebook for the first time as a trainer on Wednesday and is hoping to grow her racing team in the near future.
“It is nice to still be able to stay in touch with the racing game,” she said.
“I don’t have any big goals of training a lot of horses, but I would like to step up to around 10, just to have a nice amount in work.
“I am enjoying what I am doing and at the end of the day I am giving it a go, and I am happy with that.”
