Life in the saddle is proving to be As Easy As anything for jockey Samara Johnson as she eyes an unprecedented picnic racing payday.
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Johnson rode As Easy As to Tomingley Cup glory on Saturday - her seventh win from 10 starts aboard the eight-year-old mare.
The race favourite shared the lead until she turned on to the home straight and proved far too strong for closest rival Just Good, galloping one step closer to the $50,000 NSW picnic championship.
The picnic series began in October and the highest ranked horses are able to nominate for the final in Dubbo on September 10.
A fifth race win of the campaign has As Easy As on top of the qualifying ladder and looking assured of a place in NSW picnic racing's premier event.
Johnson has been a jockey for about four years and has no doubt the Sarah McIlrick-trained mare is the best horse she's been on.
But she can't quite put her finger on what makes her relationship with As Easy As so good, and put their remarkable record all down to the horse.
"I don't know, I think it's just her making me look good to be honest," Johnson said.
"I think it's just the fact that every time I get on her, she always tries, she's got such a big heart.
"I'd like to think [I could be confident in every race], but probably not because anything could happen during the race, things don't work out.
"But the good thing about her is that she can come from either end - she can lead and win and she can come from behind and win, which is really good."
Trainer McIlrick got her trainers licence just before Christmas and As Easy As is the only horse she has in work at the moment.
The chance of a $50,000 prize suggests it isn't a bad one to be stuck with, especially given she bought the horse second-hand.
Johnson was rapt Racing NSW got behind the NSW Picnic Champion Series, with the state's governing body providing the prizemoney that could change the dynamic of picnic racing.
"The picnic races, they're not really worth much - they're probably only worth a couple of thousand to the winner - so for people to be competing for money like that, it's really good," Johnson said.
"[As Easy As] will go out now for a couple of weeks and then come back and have a few runs under her belt and get ready for Dubbo.
"She'll race at a couple of TAB meetings first and then set up for the championship, just to get her fitness back on track, because I'm not sure what picnics are around that time."
The win over 1500 metres at Tomingley was the latest cup win under the belt of As Easy As, to go with wins at Ardlethan and Grenfell.
It continues an impressive few months for McIlrick after the horse became her first winner in December.
