SHANE SCRIVEN - READY, WILLING AND ABLE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Shane Scriven is due to make his comeback to race-riding after an extended time out of the saddle. For the veteran rider, being on the sidelines was no picnic and there was a period of time where he doubted whether he could tame both the physical and mental demands that were constantly being required of him on the road back to doing what he does best. Scriven spoke to HRO and told of the trials and tribulations he has faced over the last twelve months.

On April 15, 2011, one year ago today, the race meeting at Ipswich was within seconds of being completed when an unusual act occurred that instantly found its way into racing folklore.

Shane Scriven’s infamous whip-snatch incident, in which he wrestled another rider’s whip away from him after he had dropped his own, was almost an unbelievable indiscretion. Nobody, not even Scriven, could fathom what drove an action that was so shocking that it took a little while to piece together, particularly after Scriven calmly handed the ‘borrowed’ whip back to a dazed Ben Looker after the horses had crossed the line.

Scriven’s self-confessed brain-snap had major repercussions on a number of levels. Apart from the obvious charge leveled against Scriven, both riders involved were in strife for their failure to report the incident, the stewards handling of the affair and their procedure came under intense scrutiny, connections forfeited stakes on the disqualification of Scriven’s mount … and on it went with the flaws in the justice process being exposed as the QCAT verdict on Scriven’s appeal against his five month ban moved at a snail's pace, before a decision was finally handed down a full two months after that fateful day at Ipswich.

Scriven was allowed a stay of proceedings while his appeal was being processed and during that time he posted a magnificent Group 1 triumph aboard Scenic Shot in the Doomben Cup (the duo’s second success in that race). Scriven has in fact ridden Scenic Shot sixteen times and recorded six wins on the gelding, so, even though a possible career threatening suspension was hanging over his head, the QCAT’s delay had allowed Scriven time to enjoy a career highlight.

But the inevitable bad news would not go away.

When QCAT came in with its verdict, Scriven’s five month suspension was reduced to three months and he started his time away from racing knowing that it would be a akin to a spin of a coin if he would be able to come back, given the weight problems and mental anguish he would suffer during his period of inactivity which had arrived at a stage of a career when many would already be thinking of retirement.

This, in his words, is the story of what has happened to Shane Scriven since then.

“I’m a week away from coming back to ride.

“I finished my suspension … I think it was about the end of September, may have been October … and I always wanted to be back for the Magic Millions and realistically that meant I had to be riding before Christmas.

“I was exercising and at it for about six months … but to no avail, that is apart from probably the last six weeks. I’ve had a personal trainer for six weeks and I’ve been on a special diet for three weeks and it’s only since I’ve been doing that that I’ve got a result in terms of my weight.

“During my suspension I got to 74kg. When I came back and started dieting and exercising I got down to 69 … and I couldn’t budge off 69. I was at that weight for many months.

“It’s not the first time I’ve ever done this. I’ve done it five or six times so I sort of know what I’ve got to do and I know it is not easy, but this time I was starting to doubt if it was possible or not.

“I’m seeing a result now, but I can tell you it has just been bloody hard work and a lot of discipline.

“I have been riding work. I actually started riding work the in September. When I knew I wasn’t going to ready to ride over Christmas, I had three weeks off over Christmas … purely because I had the shits. It wasn’t working, so I said stuff this, I’m not going to make the Magic Millions so I enjoyed Christmas.

“Then I started again with a New Year’s resolution.

“I went up to Darwin for a week. I stayed up there with a mate of mine. I rode work. I walked around in 38 degrees, you know, all that sort of stuff … which got me down to about 67.

“I’d no sooner got back here and we had those two weeks of wet weather. I was still working and that, but I went back up to 69.

“That was when … I had a mate of mine who had a mate who was a personal trainer. We had words and I’ve been with him now for six or seven weeks and I’m getting there now. It’s good.

“As I said that was not always the case. I did doubt myself this time around.

“There were times when I didn’t want to do it. I used to look at my gear every day in my living room and just say I’d take it to the races and give it away. You know, just give it to the boys and then I don’t have to ride another horse.

“Nearly every morning that thought went through my head. I never did it obviously.

“In the end it probably all came down to Scenic Shot. If it wasn’t for Scenic Shot I might have reached the point where I would have said, you can all go and take a flying leap.

“He’s back here now for the Carnival. Ironically, the plan was to run him in the last race in Sydney on Slipper day. That was going to be my first day back … Golden Slipper day … and I was very excited about it, but Dan (Morton) ran me about two weeks before that and said, mate, the horse is finished with Sydney … he’s coming up to Brisbane.

“Dan and everybody at the Morton stable have been good to me. Scenic Shot has had three runs in Melbourne and two in Sydney and every run Dan rings me and asks … are you ready? Are you right to go?

“It didn’t matter whoever rode him, even if he won, I was on him next start.

“There is very little of that type of loyalty around these days and it is much appreciated from my side.

“So Scenic Shot has played a big part in my career even when I was not riding. I can’t wait to get back on him!

“It will be a big day for me when I get back out there.”

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