BROWNIE'S BLOG - ON RIDING OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMENTS THAT TAKE ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN

By Damian Browne | Friday, November 13, 2015

Damian Browne is rated right up there with the best jockeys in Australia. After severe injury setbacks this multiple Group 1 winning jockey has fought back against the odds to establish a solid reputation both as a person 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’ appears exclusively on HRO

I have been pulled up on my recent comment that I wanted to spend less time travelling and concentrate more on Brisbane ... yet, as one reader pointed out, I only had one ride at my last Saturday meeting at Doomben.

Contrary to some opinion, I am not being ultra-selective in the rides I take. It’s certainly nothing like that at all.

It’s all just to do with the opportunities at the moment.
It does happen quite often at this time of the year that apprentices get a run on.

It has something to do with the weight scale. Once horses get up to 57kg, 58kg and beyond a lot of trainers want to claim.

In those instances it means that a fair majority of the top two or three in the weights are ridden by apprentices and then you are looking down to 54kg or 55kg for the majority of the rest of the runners.

That only leaves a very limited number of riding opportunities for me and others in my position.

That’s obviously good for the apprentices. They’re getting the opportunities at the moment.

The more opportunities they get the better riders they will be later on.

I think you’ll find closer to Magic Millions time it will be a little bit different because trainers like senior jockeys to get on them for the big meetings.

I think you’ll see that leading up to the carnival as well.
The opportunities for apprentices will be limited then because trainers want to get a feel for their carnival horses.

This cycle happens every year.

That’s where one or two apprentices each year are able to take advantage ... like Luke Tarrant did last year and Jimmy Orman is doing this year.

Tegan Harrison did it three years ago and if you go back in back in time and you’ll always find one or two apprentices who have taken advantage of this time of year.

It’s just following a cycle.

Things will turn around for the senior riders.

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Just one footnote.

Comments made post race following the Melbourne Cup seemed to take on life of their own.

The stories I’ve been hearing and reading about Bossy (Glen Boss) I know will be a load of rubbish because that is not the sort of person Bossy is.

Bossy is a big advocate of everybody being equal and getting their opportunity.

That’s who he is and, in my opinion, any coverage to the contrary is far off the mark.

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