BROWNIE'S BLOG: JOCKEYS AND THEIR RETIREMENT. DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE DIFFERENT TERMS

By Damian Browne | Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Brownie’s Blog is the weekly blog of the now retired, multiple Group 1 winning jockey Damian Browne. In this edition Brownie uses Stephen Baster’s recent decision not to come out of retirement for a possible lucrative ride in the All-Star Mile as a starting point in a discussion on how different jockeys face different challenges when retirement time comes around and how their fitness regimes remain paramount to them staying up to speed in a really tough game, particular as the size of jockeys seems to get taller with each passing year. This is Brownie’s Blog – exclusive to HRO.

Recently retired jockey Stephen Baster has made the decision not to come back and ride Gold Fields in the All-Star Mile.

Trainer Logan Mcgill and others wanted Baster to reconsider his position and take the ride on Gold Fields in the $5 million contest but, in the end, tempted or not, Stephen gave an honest appraisal of his situation and turned down the opportunity to partner Gold Fields, who, incidentally, had provided him with his final winner in his final ride last November.

Stephen said his fitness levels had slipped. He felt it would take him too long to get back to full racing fitness and, as an important consequence of that, he didn’t think he would be able to do the horse justice.

That’s being scrupulously honest … and I can vouch for the accuracy of all of those concerns.

It is a difficult one. There is always going to be another horse. If you come back and ride that one then three months later it could be another horse. Somebody says why don’t you come back and ride this one. That would make it very difficult for you to settle down.

Stephen has already gone on to a new profession in real estate. So, it is not like he is not doing much because he will be busy with that and has chosen to just do that. Jeff Lloyd, on the other hand, is still very much involved in riding work. That is what he has chosen to do as part of his retirement path.

Jockeys take on retirement in different circumstances and those circumstances can dictate the degree of difficulty they find adapting to their new life when they stop riding competitively.

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The difference between Stephen, Jeff and myself, for example, is that they got to chose to retire. That means they would have thought about it, gone through that process and then come to that decision … even knowing they could have carried on if they wanted to.

Both of them were pretty fit when they stopped riding so they could have continued on but, for a lot of jockeys who don’t get to make that decision themselves but have it forced on them due to injury or illness, it is harder. You always want to come back … it’s sort of a case of unfinished business.

So, with the guys who choose to retire, it is probably and easier transition for them because they have probably had time to prepare for the moment mentally.

Different circumstances dictate different terms.

I can think of two perfect examples of that difference.

Firstly, there is Chris Munce. He obviously had everything in place to go straight into training when he stopped riding. He was able to choose to do that. And then you’ve got someone like Darren Beadman who was lost to the industry for a few years before he teamed up with Goldophin. His initial situation came about through a fall … and it took time for him to find out where he fitted in again.

As I say, some can plan their transition from race riding while others can be left in no-man’s land until they can sort themselves out.

Sadly, as we know, not everybody comes out on top of that battle.

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Getting back to jockey’s fitness and Stephen’s comment about how his level of fitness had ‘slipped’ in just two months away … that shows how much of daily grind it is for jockeys to keep match-fit.

I think it only takes two or three weeks of not doing anything to start losing that fitness … and the longer you are not active, the longer it takes to get back.

In my case I have been off for twelve months and, if I were ever able to come back, it would probably take me four, five or six months of riding work, trials, gym work to even get to that stage that I could take a race ride.

Having said that some of the guys just love the work involved. Jimmy (Byrne) loves working out and staying really active and nowadays most jockeys have to do at least some gym work, or boxing, or something like that even though they are riding work or having race-days most days of the week.

You would think that would keep you naturally fit but you still have to do that little bit of extra work to keep up to speed.

Remember too that jockeys are taller these days. Jimmy Orman … Baylee Nothdurft is another one and Stephen Arnold was another classic example … and there are more.

You just have to take your hat off to anybody who comes in at that sort of height for the great effort they put in to keep riding at the weights they do for as long as they do.

And when they decide to give it away, you just have to respect that decision.

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