GUEST BLOG: LUKE TARRANT TALKS ABOUT FACING UP TO TESTING TIMES AND THE FIGHT BACK TO SUCCESS

By Luke Tarrant | Monday, November 23, 2015

Last season Luke Tarrant was more than a rising star in the jockey ranks. He was carrying everything before him, riding winners and winning awards, when his career suffered a severe setback in the steward’s room. A lengthy suspension on a serious charge stopped all of Tarrant’s significant momentum. Now, on his way back, he is finding he has to start all over again.

To be honest I’m still getting over the effects of my reckless riding charge back in June. The last six months have been tough. I went from such a high in my career to ...

I never really had a down in my career before. I started off with a bang and I just kept on with it.

Exactly a year ago I rode my first Listed winner in the Recognition Stakes. I was on Rudy. I was really flying at the time, riding regular winners and I led the race for the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership for a long way.

But then I copped that reckless riding charge on Jumbo Prince. It basically cost me close enough to two months on the sideline and it lined up pretty bad because it came within the same month that I lost my claim and I was just trying to prove myself without a claim.

I wanted to show that I could ride winners without a claim and I just thought I was getting into it when I got put out.

Two months is a long time in racing and then you come back you’ve lost all of your rides. Everybody has forgotten about you ... and you are back without a claim.

So, as I say, I’m still getting over that whole episode now.

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At this point last year I think I’d ridden about thirty metropolitan winners. This season I haven’t even ridden half that amount.

Last season I had the pick of the rides. Sometimes in races on a Saturday I was picking between the three favourites in the race. That was even when I started riding without a claim.

I was in-form, in people’s minds and I was getting the right rides.I’ve gone from that to really struggling to get rides.

I actually feel like I’ve just started in town again.

Whereas my manager used to be having to pick and choose rides for me, she’s having to struggle to get the bottom weight now.

It really is not an exaggeration to say that it feels like I have to start over. That’s how far things have dropped off for me.

It is the old story that you need results to get attention but you need the rides to get the results. If those opportunities aren’t there, it is uphill all the way. You can’t pick them up and carry them.

You got to be on the right rides. If they are not competitive, neither are you.

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That situation can demoralise you ... and I have to try and fight against that because, as we all know, riding is about eighty percent confidence.

You have to have confidence in your decisions.

Sometimes it goes right and you look like a genius but sometimes you can make the right decision in the race and still not get the result. When you not in a good place and scraping for rides even those sort of situations can make you doubt yourself.

When you have to start scraping for rides it can take a lot away from your confidence.

To put it in perspective, when you are on the right rides you make a decision and, whether it is wrong or right, the better horse can make you look better.

When you are a horse that is not so good you might make a decision that is one hundred percent right, yet you don’t look good.

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I might be a long way from the honour’s list I enjoyed last season but I’m still the rider that won the Apprentice of the Year title, most winners in a month, the Ken Russell, the apprentice premiership, the media award and I was runner-up in the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership.

I do feel I’m working harder now to make up lost ground. I love the game. I love it no matter what.

In fact, it’s all for my love of the game really ... but it is so much easier when things go reasonably well.

‘Reasonably well’ would be a start for me now.

I want to be back. I will be back. I believe that one hundred percent.

People come up to me and say, you are not getting the rides anymore. What are you doing?

I just want to say I’m not riding any different to the jockey who had all of that success and picked up all of those awards. I just not getting the rides.

Hard work and perseverance will change that though. I believe that and I’m doing all I can from my side to make that happen.

Hopefully that will lead to more opportunities for me to show my worth.

I’m looking forward to that.

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