Apprentice Jenny Duggan has reason to be proud of her season despite almost certainly handing Sam Clipperton the Sydney premiership due to suspension.
She rides at Randwick on Monday for the last time for four weeks and goes to the meeting five wins behind Clipperton.
Duggan had hoped to get the four-week careless riding suspension reduced but on Friday the Racing NSW Appeal panel upheld the stewards' ban.
But she remains optimistic.
"It's not over yet," Duggan said.
"I'll still have two weeks of the season. Never say never."
Duggan has ridden 20 city winners this season and 139-1/2 in NSW, just half a win ahead of Courtney Van Der Werf with the pair fighting out the state apprentices' title.
A former NSW amateur riding champion, the 34-year-old Swedish born Duggan took up an apprenticeship last year.
Van Der Werf has recently made the move from Scone to join David Payne at Rosehill and will also be at Randwick on Monday along with Clipperton who is indentured to eight-time Sydney premiership winner Ron Quinton.
Clipperton says he is not concentrating on the premiership, but just trying to improve with each ride.
"It would be a great personal achievement but I want to concentrate on improving my riding," he said.
"I want to keep the momentum going. It's been a great opportunity over the past few weeks with a lot of the senior riders in Brisbane for the carnival."
Clipperton was second to Chad Schofield among the Sydney apprentices last season.
Schofield has since moved to Victoria and has the Melbourne title wrapped up despite suspensions taking a heavy toll on his availability.