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Trainer Pat Carey is known as an astute educator of apprentices, not afraid to deliver the tough advice needed to help his young riders reach their potential.

But his latest new apprentice 18-year-old Nadia Daniels says he’s not the strictest taskmaster in the stable. And it isn’t his co-trainer Harris Walker either.

It’s her long-time friend and Carey’s most recent apprentice the talented Celine Gaudray.

“I like to say that I’m not actually apprenticed to Pat, I’m apprenticed to Celine,” Daniels said with a laugh. “She’s tough as nails, very tough on me, but she wants the best for me.

“She’s a great coach, a great mentor, she’s been through the ringer with racing, and she knows all about it.”

It was Gaudray who first suggested to Daniels that she should come and work at Carey’s yard three years ago.

They’d known each other since they were young, and Daniels says she was just happy to get a part-time job.

“It’s a funny story, my family don’t come from a racing background let alone horses at all, they wouldn’t know what a mane on a horse is.

“I asked my mum if I could start riding lessons at 10 years old, I’d never really had a true hobby or anything and I just liked the ponies.

“I started in a little place in Cranbourne, that’s where I met Celine, and when I was 15, she asked if I wanted a job at Pat’s, so I called him, and he got me in there straight away.

“I started working on the ground there for about a year and learnt all the bits and bobs about racing.

“I was very green and raw, I had no idea about racing, I didn’t even know how to put a rearing bit on properly.

“It was a big adjustment, it’s very different from the equestrian background.”

Daniels and Gaudray also bonded over similar backgrounds of having parents who grew up overseas and were not connected to the racing industry.

Daniels says her parents have gone through an adjustment as her part-time hobby has now turned into a full-time career after she was accepted into Racing Victoria’s prestigious Apprentice Program.

“My parents are very Russian and Ukrainian; we all speak Russian at home.

“My mum came over here when she was 18 and had me. I like to think I’m special because I was the first-born Aussie out of my cousins.

“My parents really want to come to a trial. I’m yet to bring them, they want to watch me and they’re really excited.

“They weren’t sure about it at first, but now they’re pretty stoked about it, they love it.

“Celine also came from a background where her family weren’t really involved with horses at all, so she understands my position.

“She helps me a lot with the mental side of things, she knows this job can be a lot of pressure on someone young like me and she was in that same position.

“She’s just told me not to take things too personally, be yourself and as long as you work hard, you’ll get the results.”

She’s also told her to keep learning as much as she can off their official bosses and Carey says the 18-year-old, one of the youngest in the latest program intake, has heeded the advice.

“She’s a good listener, she’s focused, and she doesn’t switch off from racing as soon work’s finished,” he said.

“She came into the stable with the expectation that she’d just give us a hand for a few weeks or a month or two and learn something and give us a chop out.

“Well, here she is today, she’s been inducted into the system and has a bright future ahead.”

For Daniels, she just can’t wait to get to the races, already daring to dream of what could be ahead.

“When I first found out I got into the program I was stoked, it was an amazing feeling.

“It was a long wait, but we got there in the end and I’m really happy to be inducted with a great group of girls and Chris.

“It will be really great and I’m really excited to start this journey."