The rich winter period of the Sunshine State's racing season is the entire reason the 21-year-old Victorian now resides in the northern state.

Shakira Bailey travelled north with Group-level galloper Young Werther around this time last year to look after the horse for Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O'Brien.

Like many visiting trainers to Queensland over the winter, O'Brien stabled his stayer at Barry Lockwood's Eagle Farm barn.

Just a short time later, the former high-level competitive barrel racer was calling the respected Brisbane trainer 'boss' as he took her under his wing as an apprentice.

The experienced Lockwood handed his emerging jockey her first race ride at Kilcoy last Friday afternoon.

While it was not a winning debut, the light-weight hoop was beaming to be at the races after being knocked back from the Victorian apprentice program a couple of times.

Bailey and It's Raining Again went around in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1200 metres on Friday, finishing just under seven lengths behind the winner.

"It was a good experience – I held my nerves together pretty well," the young rider said.

"He was just a little slow away and if you are slow away on that track then you can't really dig up or anything like that because it is such a tight track.

"He was a really good horse for me to have my first ride on, with him being a sit and steer horse.

"As a horse, he does everything on his own and travels beautifully. He was a really good horse for me to have my first ride on."

The three-year-old gelding had been a regular partner of Bailey's at track work in her time in Queensland so he guided her in her debut.

O'Brien's Young Werther had three runs in feature races during the winter of 2023 with his best finish being third in the Group 3 Tatt's Cup over 2400 metres.

Despite Young Werther not walking away with a major prize, it all worked out perfectly for his travelling companion.