JASON TAYLOR - THE 'COME-BACK KID' MAKES GOOD

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, January 7, 2014

When Jason Taylor suffered the most severe of shoulder injuries in April last year it was a time which would test even the strongest resolve. As ever in these circumstances, the battle was as much mental as it was physical, but Taylor stayed strong and focussed and the injury duly healed after surgery and rehab. But as big a challenge still had to be faced. After a long break, you seldom return to the game on the same level you left it and the Stradbroke winning jockey had to set about re-establishing himself as a top tier rider who could still land feature race triumphs. Although this new chapter of his career is still a work in progress and much hard work remains, Taylor can already tell a story that has taken him from despair to delight, from suffering to satisfaction.

“I had a fall after the winning post at Coffs Harbour probably about a week prior to when my arm really came out. It was in the first race and I hit the ground and my shoulder sort of froze a little bit but I was fine and I continued to ride for the rest of the day … and, in fact, continued to ride for another week or so after that.

“Then at Grafton, I’d just won on one of Kim Craft’s and the very next race I gave the horse a back-hander with the stick and my left shoulder completely came out of its socket when we were racing down the straight.

“It was extremely painful and I was left trying to ride this horse out, because I was in front at the time, and my arm was dangling with my hand hanging onto the whip which was quite a predicament. I was yelling quite loud but then I had to try and ease the horse down after the race.

“Obviously I couldn’t continue riding after that. I went and saw a specialist. He told me he was going to have to operate and it was going to be six months or more before I could get back racing again.

“It’s hard when you hear something like that. In my mind I was probably expected it to be more like three months, not six months or more … and as it turned out it was probably seven months.

“I was upset when he gave me the news, but accepted things when he explained the reasons why and also explained the repercussions if I tried to push myself and come back early.

“It was a pretty graphic description. I ripped all the cartilage off the bone right around the whole joint. I’d torn ligaments and tendons so I’d done quite extensive damage.

“I always do exactly what the specialists say and I’ve never had an on-going problem with all of the injuries I’ve had. Even when they’ve operated, everything seems to have mended perfectly. Touch wood, I’ve never had dramas with it.

“If they say it’s going to take that amount of time and it will be alright, then that’s what it is. I never sort of push it a bit.

“So, I had the surgery and then was just faced with the task of recovery.

“The key to a good recovery is having a good physio there who can work with you. I got onto a physio who was just amazing.

“We sort of worked into a really good routine for quite a while. He also teaches Pilates and he got me doing Pilates, which I was a bit sceptical about but he was very positive.

“He saw the injury I’d suffered. He realised it was major and he knew what he had to do. He actually said to me, where do you want to be at the end of this? I said I want to be back competitive again so he worked out a regime accordingly.

“I’ve really have to give him a lot of credit for the way I came through everything.

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“Getting well was only half the battle though. When you are away for as long as seven months you virtually have to re-invent yourself. The come-back was very hard.

“I came back to the track riding work for a couple of weeks, actually almost two months being there every morning.

“Initially I did want to ease myself back into a race riding schedule. I consciously only took a couple of rides a meeting for the first week or two, but then when I wanted to step up the pace I found I was still only being offered those one or two rides. That was all I could get.

“I can understand the trainer’s point of view in not putting me on then because they had seen me riding a few, but until they actually see you physically perform to a winning standard there will always be a cloud over you and your fitness and mental capability.

“To get the Group 3 win in the George Moore so early in my comeback on Lucky Hussler was fantastic. I was hopeful that result would give me the kick-along I needed.

“We had to chase that ride. My wife Alana books all my rides and we’d been going through looking for a ride in the Group 3.

“We were talking to another manager Melissa Shield. She manages Matthew Palmer, who had enjoyed previous big race success on Lucky Hussler. She said Matthew wasn’t able to make the weight and, knowing that I’d ridden winners for those owners before I thought I had a chance, so we called (trainer) Kent (Fleming) straight up.

“I said, mate, throw my name in the hat for the ride on the horse. I know he’s a good horse.

“He said that sounds good. He said, if it was up to him it would be fine, but he had to confirm with the owners. He phoned me back that night confirming the ride.

“I was very excited but then, when the fields came out, I was a little bit worried about whether it would get a run in the field. I knew if he got in he would be a good chance.

“It was a quite amazing day. I was back in a big race and it was Kent’s first day back as a trainer and his first runner since returning.

“We actually stood in the enclosure and Kent said, it would be incredible if this goes to plan because the horse is on a comeback, I’m on a comeback and you’re on a comeback.

“Amazingly it all worked out and we had a Group 3 under our belt.

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“The George Moore win was on December 7 and less than a month later I was lucky enough to win the Listed Goldmarket at the Gold Coast.

“That ride came about in vastly different circumstances to that of Lucky Hussler.

“I originally had five rides for the day and I was comfortable with that because of the hot day. Then Shane Scriven came into the room and said, look Jase, do you want a ride in the main race. I said, yeah, my word I do … and he said, well, Alicia Willick’s father was out there looking for a replacement rider for Trombone Alley. I said I’d love to ride it and everything went from there.

“I did a bit of quick form when I was confirmed for the ride. Luckily I had been on the horse before a long time ago before he retired and I had been watching him race since his return and it just seemed like the old boy had rejuvenated himself.

“His best races were where he was allowed to roll along in front so I sort of had that game-plan in the back of my mind to be extremely positive out of the barriers and try and take up a decent lead.

“I think with those older horses like that, when they are not challenged at all in the early stages of the race, or the early part of the straight, they seem to have that extra kick. They’re running full of confidence and with him being able to roll along unchallenged on Saturday was a big bonus for the horse.

“I know prize-money wise and it was only a Listed race, but to me the Goldmarket has always been a race I’ve really wanted to win. The Goldmarket has been one of those really long-standing, traditional races at the Gold Coast and it is a race that I really wanted to tick off my bucket list so it was a very happy outcome for me.

“The number of rides offered to me is still coming along very slowly which again is entirely understandable. Obviously to takes time to get the confidence back of the trainers. Apart from that, being off a long time means that owners and trainers have their regular riders in place who you are not just going to move out of the way.

“It is hard trying to slot back in where I was before but my wife and I have been working extremely hard to build up the amount of rides. Last Saturday was a testament to my wife who managed to obtain me five rides on Goldmarket day which I thought was a really good effort.

“I have a simple belief. I have been working hard at the track and on my fitness training on top of that as well. My wife is always on the phone chasing rides so we sort of came to the conclusion that if we are doing the best we possibly can the rest will follow in time.

"I certainly can’t complain having landed those two features in less than a month. Hopefully there is more to come.

"Rest assured I’m working on it."

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