THE TEGAN TOUCH - IT'S A SIMPLE FACT OF LIFE: YOU CAN'T HAVE WINNERS IF YOU CAN'T GET THE RIDES
By Tegan Harrison | Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tegan Harrison has joined the HRO stable. A little known fact is that last season Tegan rode more winners than any other apprentice in Australia which means the city success she is currently enjoying has been built on a solid foundation of hard work spurred on by a strong level of ‘dedication and desire’, two factors that fellow HRO blogger and Premiership leader Michael Cahill labels as being essential ingredients behind any success story. ‘The Tegan Touch’, the personal blog of this exciting young rider will appear every Wednesday exclusively on HRO.
There is a bit of fuss around about the fact that my win on Bid Spotter at Eagle Farm on Saturday gave me the distinction of breaking Lacey Morrison’s record for the most Metropolitan winners ridden in a season by a female rider … and also about the fact that I’m running second in the Premiership but, I have to say, I don’t worry about any of that really.
I just take it all as it comes.
It doesn’t matter what record you have or where you are placed on the ladder you still have to get up and go to the races again the next day and keep marching on. There’s no future in being distracted by what you have already achieved.
I am obviously pleased with the number of winners that have come my way so far this season, particularly as I was out for most of the first month through suspension.
I’ve had more suspensions since then. That is an aspect of my career I've worked hard on improving.
It is just over halfway through the season now, so I can say I’m pleased with the way things are going but that’s about it. I don’t dwell on it at all.
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It helps me that I’m getting close to a full book of rides at almost every meeting these days.
It wasn’t always like that!
Trying to get rides when you are starting out is like a trainer starting out trying to get horses. It is very, very difficult.
When I came back from Mt Isa I had only ridden two winners from twenty odd rides. Most of the kids starting out had ridden a winner in their first five rides and it had taken me longer. I seem to be the one that was not going as well as the others.
I was ringing up for rides and everyone was saying …. no, no, no!
I was basically fighting on two fronts … trying to learn to ride and trying to get rides.
You’re ringing people. They don’t know who you are. They don’t know what you have done. You tell them what you have done and, because it’s not much, of course they are going to put the other person on who has got the experience.
Naturally I got despondent at times.
That, again, was where Ben (Hull) was a great help. His encouragement made a difference when I was getting knocked back.
I was going out to Goondiwindi one day and I couldn’t get on anything. I said, I’m not ringing anymore … and Ben would come out and say, get on the phone … keep ringing.
He made me ring every single person in the noms. I rang every single person and I ended up getting only two rides, but one happened to be a winner.
I suppose, considering the way it panned out with me getting a winner, it was good enough circumstances to encourage me to ring every week like that, whereas if I didn’t get that winner I feel it would have been back to Square A for me.
That one winner just gave me that lift. It made it feel like the ringing had paid off.
It became a habit ... a good habit!
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Even so, it took a long time for things to change.
Every week it was just constantly ringing until I got some rides. Then we started to set targets. When I was riding at bush meetings, if I got two rides, we made it a bit of a goal to get three rides next time, or the next time. Then four rides. Then we would try to get five. It just sort of went on from there.
In hindsight, it was a great grounding for me. I learnt, just being on the phone constantly week-in, week-out, to be consistent. If somebody said no to me one week I would ring them the next week again anyway … and the next week.
That consistency sort of drove them to say, oh look, we’ll give you a ride one day. Believe it or not, it does happen.
They give in. They put you on and, if you happen to have a bit of luck, then you’ve got a connection.
That’s one connection. It’s all about building connections and I think, being on the phone personally, you get a personal sort of relationship going with them and then things go a lot better.
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Of course, it’s important not to go over the top. I mean you don’t want to be ringing them a hundred times in the one morning but, certainly every time they’ve got a horse in you can give them a call.
I started to get to know a few trainers out there in the bush and they started to help me out.
Barry and Desiree Gill they put me on a bit. They are really great for apprentices starting out. It took me a while to get on to them but, when I finally did, they threw me a lot of winners out in the bush.
When I was ready to come to the provincials Barry and Des put in a couple of horses for me and it just went from there.
Kerry Munce … I had a bit of success with him out in the bush as well amongst many others.
A lot of trainers have helped me and I thank them all.
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I thought if it ever got to the stage where I was regularly getting a fairly full book of rides that things would be easier.
It doesn’t really get easier though! The area of difficulty might change but things are never easy.
You get a lot of calls and, it’s just Murphy’s Law, half the time rides you are offered end up in the same race and you have to make a decision which ends up upsetting someone … and that’s a horrible thing to do to trainers that support you.
Also, I find it really hard because a lot of times there will be a race which you can’t get a ride in but you are getting multiple offers for another race.
So, unfortunately, it doesn’t get easier. You’ve still got to put in one hundred percent. You have still got to ring everyone and you have still got to be one hundred percent on your game in terms of sorting through the noms etc.
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The landscape has changed for me in a positive way this season, but, like I say, you cannot look back. You have got to stay consistent and professional with all that you do in this game.
I have got a manager now.
Glen Courtney has done a great job for me since taking over six weeks or so ago.
When I started riding in town that added that extra meeting to the week … and going over the border as well, which I do often … it just was making it a bit tough doing my own rides.
You have got to up your riding level in town and having a manager allows me to spend more time focussing on my riding.
Glen and I have the same work ethic. We both believe you have got to keep your contacts and maintain relationships. It is very important to get back to trainers whether you can or can’t ride something. If you can’t ride, ring them back and let them know. I think they appreciate that.
It seems like a small thing but, as they say, small things can make a big difference. They have for me.
Speak to you next week,
Till then.
Tegan
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