Racing SA sponsored two talented young riders, Stacey Edwards from the Mount Gambier Pony Club and Tahnee Dodgson from the Naracoorte Pony Club, to help them travel to the Gold Coast for the finals of the National Pony Racing Series.

For the second year running, Stacey Edwards and her pony Napoleon stormed home to win the small pony category by more than five lengths, while Tahnee, who qualified on Justin Pickering and Maggie Collett's pony Rosie, finished a valiant fifth.

Both teenagers now have their hearts set on being jockeys.

"It was amazing, I had a lot of fun," said Tahnee, whose mum and dad are trainers Lisa and James Dodgson.

"We were looking around for ponies because it was my last year (age-wise) to do it, and we knew Rosie from the pony race last year when Maddie Cox rode her. We asked Justin and Maggie, who said that it would be wonderful.

"Rosie was really good, she was full of herself and actually a lot quieter than she was at Murray Bridge (in the heats). She's a very hot little pony, and when it's time to gallop, she just knows."

Every chance she gets, 15-year-old Tahnee travels to Murray Bridge from her hometown of Bordertown to ride trackwork for Judy Streets and Hannah Bryce. The sprint down the straight at the Gold Coast turf club has whet her appetite for racing.

Like Tahnee, 14-year-old Stacey has grown up around horses and has already rehomed several retired thoroughbreds from the family's Casterton property.

Her mum, Kaye, is also a trainer, and it seems the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree when Stacey got talking about how she prepared Napoleon for his back-to-back victory.

"In the build-up I was lunging him every second day and the days I'm not lunging him I give him a canter around the paddock – not too fast or anything, if I did he'd probably be too silly," said Stacey.

"He's always been out and done lots of competitions over a few days so he's sort of used to it, but we did make sure to have some extra condition on him so if he did lose weight (on the four-day float journey to the Gold Coast) he would be alright and have plenty of muscle on him."

Stacey also had hometown intelligence on her side. Her sister Jenna Edwards is an apprentice jockey based on the Gold Coast and strapped for her.

As for the much-loved 24-year-old Napoleon, whom Stacey has grown up with – he's now officially been retired.

"Very proud, it's his last year and he wasn't beaten. This was his last race, and he went out with a bang. He'll just be doing a little bit of show jumping now.

"He has got a bit of age on him, and I guess I just want to move on to bigger horses.

"I don't think I'll find another one as fast as Napoleon. When I was little, I'd be hooning around the show jumping arena, and I had to pull him up a few times. He's just the perfect type for it – a massive stride," said Stacey.

Lillianna MeyerVale from Benalla Pony Club won the large pony category on Cosmo. The daughter of Brad Vale and Shilleagh MeyerVale, who both got their start in racing in South Australia. Brad was apprenticed to Pat Barnes.

A total of 20 young riders from around Australia competed in the pony racing finals at the Gold Coast Turf Club. Sixteen Pony Club members raced in the South Australian heats at Murray Bridge in December.