LLOYD'S LIGHT-HEARTED LOOK AT HIS LATEST WINNING RIDE IN WHICH HE GOT HOME BY A NOSTRIL

By Graham Potter | Friday, July 12, 2019

It was his second last day at the office but Jeff Lloyd was as competitive as ever securing his customary winner at the Ipswich meeting … but he was also in a jovial mood as shown in his description of how his latest winning ride on the Paul Jenkins trained Wicked Heights played out.

Halfway up the home straight it looked like Noble Artist, ridden by Sean Cormack, was going to run down Wicked Heights, who Lloyd had taken to the lead quite early in the contest … but, getting the better of Lloyd has never been an easy matter.

Lloyd gives his amusing side of the story of the run home.

“We were gone at the top of the straight. Then, when I changed my whip, my horse found a bit more and I thought … ah, I’ve got to keep on working.

“I thought if he’d dropped out at least I could have taken it a bit easy.

“I had Sean next to me. I’m bouncing. He's bouncing. I thought, either South Africans have got this particular style or else we are very unfit.”

That was a 2180m race. On returning the scale Lloyd said to Sky Racing’s Michael Maxworthy, ‘I’m too old for this,’ but his fans would disagree.

But, then again, going out on top of your game, calling ‘time’ when you think it is absolutely right to do so is another hallmark of a champion.

Tomorrow Lloyd retires after a week in which personal accolades expounding everything from his strength of character, both on a personal and a professional level, to his prowess in the saddle … and so much more … have covered the racing news pages throughout the country.

Racing will be all the poorer for his absence.

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