THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - THE ROLLER-COASTER RIDE CALLED HORSE RACING

By Graham Potter | Sunday, September 18, 2016

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Queensland born jockey Glen Boss made a fleeting return to Australia on Saturday for one ride in a Group 3 race in Melbourne.

One ride!

The sad part for Boss is he would not have expected a good book of rides on the day given that the reason he was out of the country in the first place was that he accepted a six month contract in Singapore because he was not being supported by trainers when he was based in Melbourne.

Boss is not the first rider to feel doors closing around him.

He put forward his view on that situation in an interview with the G1X racing website.

“Mick Dittman told me that people retire you. You don’t retire,” Boss told G1X.

“I can’t come home knowing I’m still very capable of riding at a very good level and having one ride at Sandown and one ride on a Saturday. I simply won’t put up with it.

“I know I’m as good as anyone out there but if you are not getting the opportunities that doesn’t really matter ... if you just can’t get a ride.

"So, in the situation I’m in, I don’t see that I have many other options other than put my head down and bum up and keep working hard and hopefully I’ll get a full contract (in Singapore) next year."

Boss is now forty-seven years old and all credit to him for seeking out a new challenge ... even if it was semi forced circumstances ... at this late stage of his career.

For all that though, Boss’s current situation shows just how much you have to appreciate the positives that come your way in the racing game because, whatever their timeframe might be, things change.

Anybody who enters the racing industry with their eyes open ... in whatever capacity ... knows they do so with the understanding that there are absolutely no guarantees that there will even be a hint of any good times ahead.

It is all a gamble and it was a gamble that worked for Boss who took that leap of faith, backed his own ability, overcame serious injury and progressed to become a superstar on the back of the mighty Makybe Diva’s historic three successive Melbourne Cup victories and many other Group 1 triumphs.

We all know that even if someone does reach the highest of heights in racing, the chance of staying on top for a protracted period of time is as shaky as a tight-rope walker in a high wind.
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It is always a difficult, one step at a time approach because racing has its cycles and the fact is that nobody is immune from a sobering downgrade.

The point is that when that ‘downgrade’ comes, at whatever age, stage of career etc ... few are ready for it!

Boss has achieved more than most. By any definition he has had a stellar career and he will argue that he can go on to do great things in Singapore, and this column wishes him well in that endeavour.

For now though, his story is just a reminder of the rollercoaster ride that is horse racing where even the biggest stars can end up at the back of the queue.