FROM MY PERSPECTIVE - A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IS ABOUT COME TO AN END BUT THE HARD WORK CONTINUES
By Michael Cahill | Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Apart from Australia, five-time Group 1 winning jockey Michael Cahill 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’ appears exclusively on HRO.
While there is no break from racing in-between seasons I do allow myself some time to reflect on what has been a very successful season for me.
Winning the Brisbane Premiership has been a very satisfying for me. I have been thereabouts previously without being able to win the title.
My best previous opportunity to win the Premiership was back in 2001/02 when I led then table by about ten winners but I then accepted a contract to ride in Hong Kong.
That was my best opportunity until now, but I left to go to Hong Kong and I eventually finished second in the Brisbane Premiership behind Michael Rodd.
I have been thereabouts … so to actually win one is very satisfying. It seems like I have settled a bit of unfinished business.
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Winning a Premiership obviously is pretty much a bonus which comes on the back of having a good season.
I was very fortunate this season and very happy with my results.
I’ve had over five hundred rides in town and I managed a sixteen percent strike-rate which I take as a good result.
The more rides you have the more difficult it is to maintain a healthy strike-rate so I’m pleased with that and also with the fact that I have been able to manage my workload well enough.
My work pattern won’t be the same in the new season though.
For much of this season I was going out to Patinack on Tuesday and Thursday … which suited me.
You didn’t have to have as early a start as you do at the track but I’m just not sure how I will go about my morning work routine now that John Thompson’s got stables at Eagle Farm.
Living at the Gold Coast I might be able to go and ride track-work twice a week but the workload will be pretty full on whichever way it works out … Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and most Tuesday’s are pretty busy with trials.
So the workload is there.
You can only hope that some success can follow. That’s always what you are working towards.
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Of course you can do all the work you like but you can still struggle if you are not getting competitive rides.
Again I’m very fortunate. I’ve got a good agent … Glen Courtney. He’s been part of my success. He does a very good job for me.
We are a team. We bounce ideas off each other and I’m always kept in the loop in terms of what’s happening or what he is thinking.
Having that open line of communication works best for me.
I know some jockeys are happy to leave everything to their agents and are happy to only find out what they are riding at the acceptance stage … and that works for them.
I want to know what I’m being offered beforehand. Glen understands that and we work really well together.
Like I said, his efforts have certainly played a big part in my success this season and I thank him for that.
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My final month of the season has been interrupted by suspension.
I did go out on a big note before starting my suspension when winning on Someday in the Glasshouse, which has to go down as one of my season’s highlights, but then I did take a little while to get going again in terms of winning results after returning to riding.
I went to Grafton for the Ramornie for the ride on Adebisi on my first day back. Things didn’t work out the way we had hoped.
Adebisi didn’t get much peace in front. He is always vulnerable up front when he gets tested like that.
Things started to pick up slowly from there. I rode one winner last Wednesday, one on Friday and then I was back in form again last Saturday where I was lucky enough to ride three consecutive winners.
It was good to be back in full stride.
It was nice going home with a treble, particularly as I really didn’t expect to have three winners on the day.
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Like I said at the outset, racing never takes a break, but the calendar page will soon turn over to August 1 and the start of the new season.
I’ve never really been one to set targets at the start of a season. I just sort of take it as it comes and try to do my best week in and week out and that’s what I’ll be doing next season again.
Whether it results in another Premiership, you never know.
I guess, if anything, I do want to be in the top three in Brisbane. I have pretty much been in the top five most of the time I have ridden here and I’m proud of that record.
But the statistical slate is about to be wiped clean.
The new season will bring new challenges.
All you can do is prepare yourself as best you can both physically and mentally and then give it a full go.
That’s the script I will be following.
Let’s see where it leads.
Till next week,
Michael
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