JEFF LLOYD SETS DATE FOR HIS RETIREMENT

By Graham Potter and Darren Winningham | Friday, May 31, 2019

Jeff Lloyd, Queensland’s leading jockey, has announced his retirement.

Lloyd’s final race-day in the saddle will be at the July 13 meeting at Doomben.

“The time is right,” Lloyd told HRO. “I’ve had another good season. I don’t want to push it too far.

“My son starts riding soon so I want to be able to go back and forth when I need to. I’ve had a great career and I don’t see the sense in pushing it anymore.

“I always knew it would probably be my last season. I’ve got no particular plans. I’ll just take a bit of time off and see where it goes from there.

“I’ll see what comes along and then I’ll decide what I want to do.

“I want to keep fit. I’ll ride some work for Toby (Edmonds) … maybe a couple of times a week. I’ll ride work with my young son.

“He is at the Gold Coast, but he will go to Melbourne in a couple of years when he finishes school,” concluded Lloyd, clearly a man very comfortable with his decision.

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Lloyd’s career spans multiple Group One winning rides globally.

He has a glittering international career riding all around the world commencing his profession in South Africa, and then moving around the globe … riding in Hong Kong, Singapore, United Kingdom, Germany, Dubai, Macau, Mauritius, New Zealand and finally in Australia basing himself on the Gold Coast and riding in Queensland.

Lloyd has three Group One winners on one day and has ridden seven winners at a meeting on four occasions.
He broke the Queensland Metropolitan and State records in the 2016/17 racing season and won the Australian Metropolitan Jockey premiership.

He has dominated Queensland racing for several years winning the Queensland Jockey premiership three years in a row 2015/16, 2016/17 and again in 2017/18.
As of today, Lloyd leads the 2018/19 premiership, 32 winners ahead of Brad Stewart. It thus seems certain Lloyd will win the 2018/19 premiership again to cap off his dominant period in Queensland Racing that has also seen him gain the title of the oldest jockey to win a Jockey State premiership in Australia.

Lloyd has ridden more than 5500 winners during his international career.

He won the 2017 Magic Millions aboard the Toby Edmonds trained Houtzen and he is sure to keep a close watching brief on her when she makes her international debut in the King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1) at Ascot on June 18.

HRO looks forward to still watching Lloyd in action until July 13 and, beyond that, wishes Jeff Lloyd everything of the best in his future endeavours.

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