After Kei Chiong Ka-kei left her own custom-made jockeys' room at Sha Tin on Sunday and rode Distinct Commander in race five, she became the first local female to compete in Hong Kong for more than 15 years - and Jockey Club officials hope she can inspire a new generation of girl professional riders.

After showing rapid progress in the past six months of a stint in New Zealand, the 22-year-old Chiong has been chosen as the club's newest apprentice, becoming the first local girl since Carol Yu Wing-sze in May 2000 to ride in races at Sha Tin or Happy Valley.

She showed she could compete with the best as she finished sixth at her first ride and later finished second in a race, ahead of the likes of Douglas Whyte, champion jockey in 13 consecutive seasons.

Chiong might be the first female in a long time to ride here, but she won't be the last and it is unlikely there be as long to wait for the next woman rider.

This season, six of the Apprentice Jockeys' School's 14 incoming students are girls - mirroring the larger percentages of females riding, especially among apprentices, in other jurisdictions.

"Kei coming back from New Zealand and achieving this goal can give those girls some inspiration," jockeys' school headmistress Amy Chan Lim-chee said.

"It will make a difference to them to have a role model out there riding." Chiong hasn't been given any favours and Chan stresses the new media darling is no "token female", nor her selection a publicity stunt.

We don't pick someone just because they are female. It's Kei's time, and she has been chosen for her riding capabilities

Amy Chan, headmistress of the jockeys' school

"We treat girls and boys the same, they need to reach certain benchmarks - if they don't reach that we can't let them continue on," Chan said.

"We don't pick someone just because they are female. It's Kei's time, and she has been chosen for her riding capabilities."

As with all local apprentices, male or female, the learning curve required to go from apprentice school newcomer to competing in what is considered the world's toughest arena for jockeys is a steep one.

Growing up in Tsuen Wan's concrete jungle of housing estates, Chiong's only previous contact with horses before entering the Jockey Club ranks was on a couple of trail rides on quiet ponies at an adventure park in mainland China.

She showed enough affinity with horses that her father, after seeing an advertisement in a newspaper, encouraged the youngest of his two daughters to try out for a place in the school.

Watching the races from New Zealand was trainer Allan Sharrock, who guided Chiong through the latter part of her apprenticeship.

"I'm very proud of her, to be riding in that cauldron. It's not going to be easy and I made that quite clear to her that it is the hardest place in the world to ride," Sharrock said.

"But she is tough, she has stuck to it and is very determined. When she came to me she had a pretty average start, but she has done well since then, and it was just through dedication and hard work."

When asked what got her through those challenging early times in New Zealand, Chiong comes up with a confident answer:

"From the first day I entered the jockeys' school, I knew what I was there to do. My aim was to become a successful jockey, so when I was frustrated I would keep thinking about that and push through."

Sharrock has plenty of insight when it comes to spotting talent, having guided former Hong Kong-based rider Michael Walker through his record-breaking apprenticeship before Matthew Cameron was champion apprentice for the stable before going on to win the last two senior New Zealand premierships.

It was at a meeting earlier this year at Wanganui racecourse on a September afternoon that Sharrock first recognised that Chiong was ready to compete against the likes of Joao Moreira and Zac Purton.

She is tough, she has stuck to it and is very determined

Allan Sharrock

It wasn't one of her 45 winners though, but rather an unplaced ride for a rival trainer that he saw what he wanted to see.

"After the race she thought I was going to criticise the ride, but I said to her - 'If you keep riding like that you are going to make it to Hong Kong'," he said.

"It was a 10 out of 10 ride. She didn't win the race, but she came from a wide gate, she gave her horse the best run in the race - her poise and timing in that ride was spot on … She can compete in her homeland."