Sydney-based jockey Winona Costin considering move to Queensland

Herald Sun

11-07-2025

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The lure of riding in the warmer climate of southeast Queensland could prove too hard to resist for Sydney-based jockey Winona Costin.
While she has no immediate plans to relocate north, Costin hasn't ruled out following in the footsteps of fellow female jockey Cejay Graham, who has made a success of moving from Port Macquarie in NSW to Brisbane in 2023.
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Costin has six rides at Doomben on Saturday – all for different trainers – with her best chance being the James Ponsonby-trained Philipsburg ($15) in a Benchmark 78 over 2000m.
But Costin's work won't finish at Doomben – she will then drive up the Warrego Highway for Saturday night racing at Toowoomba where she will ride Drunken Sailor and Sonny Fella for Ponsonby.
On Sunday the Hawkesbury trainer will head home, stopping at Grafton to drop off Costin, who has been booked for two rides at the NSW provincial track.
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'You never know,' Costin said about the possibility of shifting to Brisbane following a string of hit-and-run missions to southeast Queensland.
'If I get good enough traction then there's always a chance. I'm not a tree so I can move.
'It's always good in the warmer weather, too.
'Cejay has gone so well up there which is very inspiring. If I can get good traction up there when I fly in and fly out, you never know what the future holds.'
The 30-year-old Costin can't wait to jump back on 70-race veteran Philipsburg, who won back-to-back contests at Doomben and Eagle Farm at Benchmark 80 and 90 level respectively in the space of seven days in April.
She also rode the seven-year-old gelding in his last-start, a disappointing eighth out of 13 runners in the $250,000 Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) on June 21.
Winona Costin steering Philipsburg (right) to victory in a race at Doomben in April. Picture: Trackside Photography
'I've ridden him since he was young and he's definitely one of my favourite horses,' Costin said.
'He's got a lot of character – he's a funny old bugger – and he's in good order.
'He ran really well (in the Ipswich Cup) but the track was just playing a bit too on-pace for him.
'I was happy with the way he came home and he got a bit tightened on the corner as well.'
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Costin has certainly done it tough over her journey, fighting back from 12 months on the sidelines in 2017 after battling debilitating concussion symptoms.
She was knocked out three times in a race or trial falls and went through a dark period when she struggled to speak, kept falling asleep and lost almost all her memory.
'Having a year off was definitely not on the cards but I'm glad I was able to ride again and be back to being 100 per cent right,' Costin told Racenet on Friday on her way to riding in Scone.
'I was always determined to come back, I wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.
'The neurologist in Sydney wouldn't clear me so I had to fly to Melbourne to find one who would clear me. I'm thankful for that.
'It was hard. I can't even remember most of the year to be honest. I was very tired, I'd forget things a lot and I was very sensitive to light. But that's all in the past now.'
And the future looks as bright as a warm winter's day in the Sunshine State for a jockey with fierce determination and a strong desire to win.
Originally published as Sydney-based jockey Winona Costin considering move to Queensland