'FROM MY PERSPECTIVE' - THE LAST FIVE MONTHS HAVE BEEN A VERY PRODUCTIVE PERIOD FOR ME
By MIchael Cahill | Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Five-time Group 1 winning jockey Michael Cahill is the latest addition to the HRO blogging stable. Apart from Australia, Michael has ridden in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, South Korea and Mauritius. He brings thirty-three years of race riding experience to the game and with this greater all-around experience Michael is superbly qualified to give insightful commentary on the racing scene. Michael’s personal blog, ‘From my perspective’ will appear every Wednesday on HRO.
Success-wise, I’ve been very fortunate since I came back to Australia from Mauritius, although initially I did have a bit of a false start.
My first meeting back in Australia was on May 4 (2012) … the Prime Minister’s Cup meeting … and then I had a fall on May 30. I didn’t ride a lot in that time because I was still getting my weight down.
In Mauritius the weights are quite heavy. It’s alright to ride at 57. To come back and start riding 54 here again was pretty hard work and I’d just sort of started getting back close to the mark when I had the unfortunate incident at Doomben on a horse of Barry Baldwin.
I fractured by collar-bone and my shoulder blade so I was out for just over two months. I was back for the meeting on August 8 … so I’ve really only been back for five months or so and that has been a very positive time for me results-wise.
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The offer to ride for Patinack did influence my decision to come back to Australia. Jeff Lloyd was riding for Patinack too and we were going to share the rides … so that was certainly an incentive to come back.
That relationship has certainly served me well. I’ve been very fortunate. Patinack’s support has been invaluable to me. John Thompson and Nathan Tinkler have really supported me well. They gave me a real good kick-along!
The run of success the Patinack arrangement helped me achieve has had a positive spinoff in that I am also getting a good spread of rides from different top stables at the moment, which I am thankful for.
As people know, the riding ranks are strong in Brisbane at the moment. I’d been out of the country for eighteen months, so it was always going to be hard to break back in, but having the support of a large stable like Patinack was a big help.
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When I came back to Australia I certainly didn’t expect to get into the position I now find myself in … so soon.
Previously, when I’ve ridden in Brisbane I’ve been in the top three or four riders in the Premiership a number of times, but to be in the leading position in the premiership this season after just five months back has surprised me.
I’ve never won a Brisbane Premiership. The best chance I had to win it was in 2001 / 2002.
I led Michael Rodd by ten wins in March and then I went to Hong Kong. I was given the opportunity to go to Hong Kong and it had always been an ambition of mine to ride there. Apart from the fact that you simply don’t turn offers like that down, I really wanted to go.
I’ve always had a passion for International racing. I love going to those countries and riding against foreign jockeys. I really think it has helped my career.
Had I stayed, I obviously would have had a fair shot at the Premiership, but, in the end, Michael went right away from me. He took out the Premiership with 74 wins. I still finished second with 56 wins.
So here I am, eleven years later, leading the Metropolitan Premiership once again early in the New Year which underlines how well things have gone for me so far this season.
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My win on Real Surreal in the Magic Millions has been the obvious highlight of the season for me at this stage.
The journey to land the ride on Real Surreal for the Millions was an interesting one.
I was offered the ride on her at the first scheduled start. She didn’t end up running that day. Rosie Myers then rode her in her first start and she won. I was on her the next start and she ran a good third.
I knew the Magic Millions was in the pipeline for her, if she could qualify, and I was supposed to ride her on New Years day, but there was a bit of a mix-up with acceptances. So she didn’t run … and then she ended up being put in that race a week before the millions.
I’d already taken the ride on Tony Gollan’s filly in that race. I couldn’t get back off that mount and I don’t think it would have been the right thing to do anyway in the circumstances, so Matthew Palmer more or less filled in that day.
He did a splendid job. He rode her very well and I was fortunate enough to retain the ride for the Magic Millions.
I didn’t ride Real Surreal in any work in the week leading up to the race. I’ve only been on her twice and it was for those two runs. I live at the Gold Coast and I don’t ride work in Brisbane unless I am specifically asked to go up. Occasionally I do, but Real Surreal was in good hands.
You know how well Kelso is going to turn them out. He’s going to produce them at their best.
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Real Surreal drew an inside gate which came down to barrier two with the scratching of Assail. While I was happy to be drawn in there, I wouldn’t have been concerned had she drawn out to about ten, because she hasn’t got a great deal of early speed and sometimes there is trouble in hectic races like Magic Millions and the Gold Slipper.
As it turned out she didn’t have the speed to take up a prominent position. I wanted to be seventh or eighth. I was back a bit further than that.
It turned out to be a pretty cleanly run Magic Millions this year and that aided my run through the field. As you know a lot of lightly raced two-year-olds can be hesitant about taken gaps, especially in a high pressure race where they are not giving a quarter.
You don’t need bad luck in the Magic Millions. It is a difficult enough task for the runners anyway, but Real Surreal raced very well and from about the 1000, once she started to travel, I was confident I she would be in the finish somewhere.
There is always a bit of luck involved. I knew coming to the turn … if I went wide I couldn’t win. I might run fourth or fifth. So I persisted with the inside.
I was lucky just before the turn I was able to come off the rail and improved on her. Then, just after we straightened, there was a wall of horses ahead of me, but I could see an opening starting to appear just ahead of me … and Real Surreal was really starting to gather momentum at that stage, so we went for that.
When horses are full of running they can shoulder their way through openings. That’s was she did and then she was very strong to the line.
The thrill of winning is addictive. I get a thrill winning any race … from a Maiden up. I get a kick out of all of them. Having said that, of course, it is different thing when you win a big race like the Millions.
I can only speak from my personal experience … it’s like it dawns on you immediately you cross the line. You think, ah I’ve won the Millions … I’ve won the Stradbroke, whatever it is. That is an addictive feeling.
So it was a special moment for me. Whatever else it might be, the millions is a fabulous race-day to ride at. It was a very satisfying moment.
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I was lucky enough to have my run of winners continue through this last week.
Two winners at Doomben last mid-week, two at Ipswich on Friday, one at Eagle Farm on Saturday and another two at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
That’s all in the past now of course, but I’ll certainly be doing all I can to keep that winning momentum going.
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In conclusion, I’m just liked to say I’m very pleased to with you on HRO and I look forward to speaking to you again next week.
Cheers,
Michael
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