ITS BEEN A DISAPPOINTING CARNIVAL FOR ME BUT THERE'S STILL TIME TO GET BACK ON TRACK

By Damian Browne | Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Damian Browne is rated right up there with the best jockeys in Australia. After severe injury setbacks which would have ended a lesser man’s career, this eleven-time Group 1 winning jockey has fought back against the odds to establish a solid reputation both as a person ... through the calm, confident and professional manner in which he goes about his business ... and as a rider, where he has built an enviable race record largely courtesy of his exceptional expertise as a horseman. Damian’s column, ‘Brownies Blog’, will appear weekly on Wednesdays ... exclusive to HRO!

It’s getting to be a pretty disappointing carnival for me by my standards.

I won the Victory Stakes and then the Caloundra Cup early but the carnival has normally gone on to be better for me than it has been in recent weeks.

It’s been pretty much going one way for me lately ... the wrong way.

I’ve either pulled the wrong rein and got on the wrong horse or the weights have found me out.

Dublin Lass, who won the Bright Shadow last Saturday, I’d ridden in her previous start. I probably also had a good chance of being on Werther, who won the Eagle Farm Cup and who now goes on to the Derby, but I was on one of Chris Waller’s in that race ... which was scratched. Platinum Witness, who I had hopes for, went ordinary and her campaign was cut short.

That sort of missing out, which happens to everybody of course, has been pretty much the story of my carnival, but that is how it goes sometimes.

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I also have to state the obvious and say that, after the journey of the last couple of weeks, it was really disappointing for me to have to accept that I will be watching the Stradbroke from the sidelines this year.

A $2 million race is obviously difficult to sidestep and I guess that was the case with Boban. When I heard on Sunday that Chris Waller had decided to run Boban in the Stradbroke it became obvious to me that I was going to lose the ride on Srikandi because of the weights.

With Boban (the top weight) staying in the race it meant the race weights would not be raised. That meant Srikandi would carry 53kg. Originally I thought she would carry about 54kg.

I was given the option of getting down to that weight but 53kg, in the end ... that’s a long way from where I am normally and it would have been stretching it a bit for me to try to make that weight.

Srikandi has drawn a good barrier for the Stradbroke so she’ll get the opportunity to make amends after her last couple of starts ... and I hope she does!

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It’s been a strange lead-up to the Stradbroke all-round.

The changes in form ... some disappointing ... then Boban staking his claim and getting the nod when many thought he wouldn’t run. Najoom running a blinder. Paying up to run and then coming out soon after through injury. Lumosty, the favourite, still waiting to see if she gets a run or not (as first emergency).

As it has turned out, just making it to the race is a feat in itself. As Bohemian Lily showed last week you are not really in the race until the field leaves the barriers as so much can happen along the way.

It has taken a while for the Stradbroke field to take shape. We didn’t know some of the pieces of the final field puzzle until the last minute but they are in place now and it is down to serious business.

Queensland’s richest race only comes around once a year. I’d much rather be participating than watching, but, unfortunately, that is just the way it has turned out for me this time around.

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The carnival’s not over yet of course and hopefully I can get things back on track.

I guess it is a bit ironic that one of my remaining chances of feature race success could come on Ipswich Cup day.

Peter Snowden asked me in mounting yard then other day whether I would go to Ipswich to ride I’ve Got The Looks and I said, I’d be there.

I haven’t been to Ipswich in quite some time but I’ll be there this year on Cup day on a horse that should be very competitive.

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Finally, just a brief word on the big news of the week ... the sacking of all of the racing boards falling under Queensland Racing.

I think it what has happened is frustrating for everybody in the thoroughbred industry. It is one of those things I have never understood ... why we have to be amalgamated with other racing codes.

Thoroughbred racing is an entity itself and it should be treated as such and run by people who know how to run that code best.

It certainly should not be tarred with the same brush when another, different racing entity does the wrong thing.

It’s not rocket science.

The bottom line for me personally, as one who likes to promote the thoroughbred racing industry, is that we work too hard to be dragged around by other industries.

Till next week,

Damian

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