BROWNIE'S BLOG: A YOUNG APPRENTICE PUTS THE 'JOCKEY NEWS' BACK INTO POSITIVE TERRITORY

By Damian Browne | Thursday, May 7, 2020

After recent headlines from the jockey world had all been ramping up an unwanted tally in the debit column, racing needed a feel-good jockey story to get us smiling again.
Breaching Covid 19 restrictions, headbutting, betting charges, rides been inquired into … it was all happening with all of the accompanying negative publicity and it took a young apprentice to push that all aside and put us back in positive territory.

I didn’t know a lot about Stephanie Thornton before she came to Queensland but, as they say, the rest is history.

She started the day on Saturday one win off outriding her metropolitan claim and she wasted no time at all in locking in that landmark win taking out the first race on the card … and then added another two winners on the day for good measure.

Her record shows that she has achieved so much since she relocated here and she can be proud of that.

A lot of credit for her development must also go to Steven O’Dea and the owners in Steve’s stable for supporting her as well. If you are aligned with a stable that is really going well … as Stephanie is with Steve … it helps your confidence and it helps you to build some momentum. For the trainer to tell the owners ‘I am putting my apprentice on’ wouldn’t have been easy when Stephanie first arrived.

And when you get put on you have to get results and keep getting results to keep being put on. So, there’s a lot an apprentice being given opportunities has to be able to handle to boost not only their own confidence but the confidence of those giving you the rides.

She’s shown she has been getting there steadily and other trainers have come to the party to the point where she won The Jewel, that big race at The Gold Coast, on The Odyssey. That was a non claiming race. So, she is getting rides in non-claiming races which is a very telling point as to how owners and trainers think about her riding and, on that basis, the level of support they are prepared to give her.

I still don’t know her well but she seems very personable, easy to talk to and she comes across and presents herself well. She also always seems to be happy. I don’t think I have ever seen her grumpy or sour but, then again, I suppose if you are riding winners every week it is easy to keep smiling.

All of these attributes … on top of the fact that she obviously can ride (and can ride light) … are all very much positives that help create the complete package.

She has a lot going for her and I wish her continued success.
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Talking about Steven O’Dea apprentices, or one of his former apprentices to be more precise, it was good to see Aidan Holt winning on North Queensland’s star horse The Harrovian in Cairns last week.

Aidan’s always been a good horseman but obviously weight has always been a battle for him.

It was Aidan’s second win back in the saddle after just under a two-year break and both of those victories were aboard The Harrovian who, incidentally, has now won his last six starts in a row and twelve out of twenty-five overall.

The horse carried a massive 67kg in that last win … I’d need to sweat but I could probably nearly ride that myself!
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Another jockey will be making a very welcome return to action on Saturday is Jimmy Byrne.

Jimmy originally returned to race riding in March following a leg operation (after breaking his leg in December) but he was only back a week when his leg swelled up again badly necessitating the need for a second operation.

On Saturday it will be ‘take two’ with Jimmy back in the saddle again.

Funnily enough, I had an inkling of what was happening when he first came back because when I saw him walking around behind the starting gates he had his foot out of the irons which is something I used to do when my legs were hurting me. I noticed him doing that and I thought … ah, Jimmy, I hope you haven’t rushed back too soon.

He is the type of person who would do that, not in any foolish way, but it is just that he is so competitive he is the type of person who wants to get out there. He will always come back a week too soon rather than a week too late … whereas I’m the opposite.

He is a tough bugger. He is not only a great rider, he is also a champion bloke.

We had some great battles over the years and that is probably one of the things I miss the most since I stopped riding … the banter with Jimmy and the battle with him on the track where he is one of the toughest riders to ride against.

You know, they say they don’t give you an inch … well he doesn’t give you a millimetre.

I really respect Jimmy, as I say as a jockey and as a person, and I really hope his legs can hold up.

He’s not any younger now … I hope that he knows that … but I’m also hoping he can get back all the way to where he wants to be.

I only wish the best for Jimmy.
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Lastly, something that really irritates me … the way social media goes off about jockeys.

It’s happened to me. It’s happened to every jockey yet so much of it is absolutely uncalled for.

You take the response to Baylee Nothdurft’s ride on Vega One for example. Look, the bloke has ridden a bad race, as every jockey does on occasions, and maybe he made a few bad decisions in the running but so many people suddenly then just jump to the worst conclusions possible … the rider is on the take, he has done it for betting purposes, whatever … and they run wild with things like that all over social media. And there is a lot of unnecessary colourful language in there too.

I know when I was riding, even with all of my experience, when I’d get something like that, it plays on your mind and it is not a good thing to be feeling that people think your intentions aren’t right.

In fact, it is a very uncomfortable feeling and, in most cases, the abuse is certainly not deserved.

I sincerely hope that those around Baylee have shielded him from those social media comments. It is not something that jockeys should have to deal with … especially a young guy who is climbing the riding ranks as quickly as he is.

All jockeys know that you can cop a bollocking after a bad ride from the trainer, connections or whoever … even the crowd (when they are there) when you are coming back in.

You have given one a shocker and they are giving it to you.

Believe me, jockeys already know before they get that bollocking when they have put in a particularly bad ride so they can’t really say anything back, but it really isn't acceptable to me when it goes further than that and the criticism turns into personal abuse which is carried on and on via social media.

I just don’t see the need for that at all.

My advice to Baylee would be to keep his head up.

My hope for Baylee is that this issue, in spite of the stiff penalty which has been handed to him following a formal inquiry into that ride, doesn’t dent Baylee’s confidence because he is having such a good season and has been riding so well over many months.

It is already always a tough gig riding race-horses on so many levels.

Jockeys simply don’t need comments on social media to make it any tougher!

That doesn't mean that critics can't have their say. It means they should be more responsible when they do so and work to a respectable standard that they would expect of others.
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HRO COMMENTS:

Nothdurft was found guilty to a charge under AR 129 (2) which states:

"AR 129 Running and handling - (2) A rider must take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure that the rider’s horse is given full opportunity to win or to obtain the best possible place in the field.”

Baylee was suspended for three months from May 16 to August 16. He has the right of appeal.

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