BROWNIE'S BLOG: NEVER RIGHT OFF NEW ZEALAND. JOCKEY'S ORIGIN SERIES IS FAR FROM OVER

By Damian Browne | Friday, December 16, 2016

Multiple Group 1 winning jockey Damian Browne helped New Zealand to victory in the inaugural Jockey Origin Series last year and although New South Wales got off to a tearaway start in this year's series at Eagle Farm last week, Browne is adamant the contest is far from over. Brownie's Blog, appears exclusively on HRO.

The Origins Series is very enjoyable for the riders involved.

We are competitive people by nature anyway so most of us like to win anything ... whether it is a game of ping pong or a game of pool or whatever. It is just another way in which you can win or lose and every one of us would rather win if we can.

The Origin concept just adds to that rivalry especially because we are all pretty good friends off the track ... so it comes with having a bit of a dig at each other, which it nice.

There are those who question the value of the series but the bottom line is that if Origin wasn’t being held those top riders from all over the place ... Kerrin McEvoy, Michael Rodd and the others ... would not be here.

Everybody likes to see the best horses. People also like to see the best jockeys so it is absolutely great to see jockeys of that calibre in Queensland.

There is no downside to that.

If Origin is what brings them here at this time of year ... so be it.

It was a good day for New South Wales on Saturday but I would point out that New Zealand came from behind to win the series last year.

We’ve got that never say die attitude so I’m looking forward to the next two legs, hopefully getting some good rides and making a race of it.

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I just want to take a step back for a moment.

I was away in New Zealand for a week recently and then did not ride in the meeting at the Sunshine Coast when Jeff Lloyd landed seven winners.

This is my first blog since that time and I really want to congratulate Jeff and acknowledge that achievement.

It goes without saying that Jeff brings his world wide experience to the jockey’s room.

He is a terrific guy to talk to and I’m sure the younger brigade of jockeys are able to approach him.

He is a down to earth guy.

He has been a world class rider for so long and for him to bring that level of knowledge and experience back here bodes well for the young people coming through who have the opportunity to learn from such a rider.

Jeff is not very much into any sort of fanfare about his winners.

I suppose when you’ve ridden the hundred odd Group 1 winners and 5000 or probably nearly going on 6000 winners in total like he has ... or whatever the specifics of those figures are ... you will get tired of jumping up and down.

As I say, he is just so down to earth and so professional you have to take your hat off to him the way he conducts himself.

Some people were quick to ask questions about Jeff’s riding style when he first came here because it was so different from the style Australian based racegoers are used to seeing.

It is very different ... in Australia. If you go to South Africa you will see that most of them do it and the English do it to a certain extent as well.

It obviously works for Jeff.

The bottom line is that people will always look at results before they look at style and Jeff certainly has nothing to answer to in that regard because his results speak for themselves.

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