BROWNIE'S BLOG: IT SEEMS IT IS TIME FOR THAT WHINGE AGAIN. IT IS JUST HUMAN NATURE AFTER-ALL!

By Damian Browne | Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Brownie’s Blog is the weekly blog of multiple Group 1 winning jockey Damian Browne. This week Brownie looks at the old chestnut of how locals seem to like to whinge about the visiting international horses at this time of year and he puts that sentiment in a global context. He also talks about the cut and thrust nature of the jockey’s profession with regard to riders being replaced in big races and he gives his opinion on those who try to blow certain jockey replacement stories out of proper proportion. This is Brownie’s Blog – exclusive to HRO

Let’s face it, everybody loves a good whinge on occasions even when it is the same old whinge that happens every year and concerns a story that has become so well worn … like the sentiment expressed towards the international runners by the true blue and proudly Aussie punters on an annual basis.

It’s just human nature after-all.

Do the poms not whinge when we go over there and win their sprint races? No country likes it when visiting runners roll in, snatch the major share of the prizemoney and take it away with them.

It happens everywhere … at the Dubai World Cup, at the Hong Kong International races, at the Breeders’ Cup. Racing is fully international now and is played out on a truly global stage … nothing like it was years ago where you raced, by and large, in your own country.

In that changed context, I think we would probably whinge more if we weren’t attracting overseas horses. That’s why we are putting the big money up isn’t it … with added bonuses and incentives?

You can’t put up tempting prize-money and bonuses as a means of attracting international participation and then whinge when they come and win it.

Having said that, the eligibility criteria for the final fields in races like the Melbourne Cup could do with a review.
At the end of the day you want the Melbourne Cup to be contested by the best twenty-four horses you can assemble and, arguably, that is not always the case.

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Jockeys being replaced on mounts for big race rides is nothing new.

Every single jockey has been replaced at some time in his or her career and obviously it is harder to take when it happens in big races.

Quite often somebody has lost the ride before that to allow a new jockey to get on and then that new jockey, in turn, might lose the ride. It is just the cut and thrust nature of the profession. It’s swings and roundabouts really and it certainly seldom happens to anyone in isolation.

You only have to take my two Blue Diamond winners as an example.

In 2014 I won the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes on Earthquake. A year later I won the race again on Pride Of Dubai … and I never rode either of them again.

I knew the situation going in so I wasn’t blindsided by not being offered another chance on either of them … but, at the time, you still like to think that you’ve got the job done and that you might have a chance of staying on them … but it was not to be.

It goes both ways with trainers and jockeys and so, whoever you are, when you are adversely affected by being knocked back you can’t get too down about it.

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The bottom line is that it is up to the owners and trainers to make a decision as to who will ride their horse.

I think most of the time they have a pretty good idea of who they want to ride their horse and who they don’t want.

Some trainers are more loyal than others and some jockeys are more loyal than others. Some jockeys will just chase the best ride and some trainers will just chase the best rider … irrespective of any other consideration.

Again, that is just the nature of the beast, particularly when you are talking about the kind of sums of money that is up for grabs these days.

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There are some people out there who try to make more out of some particular ‘jockey replacement’ stories than is actually the case.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion but, when they are not directly involved and it doesn’t affect them, I find most of their heavily loaded comments unnecessary, unfair and really not worth listening to.

Enough said.

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