MUNCE CONFIRMS MOVE TO QUEENSLAND

By Graham Potter | Thursday, February 4, 2010

Jockey Chris Munce has confirmed the worst kept secret of recent weeks stating that he will be relocating to Queensland where he will be looking to open up a new chapter on his riding career.

For many, many years that career was one of scintillating success earned by a highly talented horsesman, highlighted by a Melbourne Cup winning ride aboard Jezabeel in 1998.

That was until Munce’s profile crashed and burned under the weight of the ‘tips for cash’ scandal in Hong Kong, an indiscretion for which Munce was subsequently jailed.

Munce’s standing has caused much controversy.

The Australian racing community was, and still remains, split in the first instance as to whether Munce’s punishment fitted the crime.

The solidarity of the Australian racing ranks was further breached when Racing New South Wales granted Munce a license to resume riding in that state prior to his having served the full sentence imposed on him by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

That decision was made in defiance of an international ‘agreement’ for riding penalties to be honoured by racing authorities worldwide. Queensland honoured the international agreement and Munce’s eligibility to ride in the Sunshine State was only ratified when the international ban had run its course.

Once back in the saddle in New South Wales, Munce showed he had lost none of the touch that had made him a race rider of the highest order and the winners started to roll with his accustomed regularity.

His fitness level, which he had worked hard on maintaining during his time away from the track, and his mental toughness, which he held on to with the support of family and friends during his most testing time, were important characteristics which helped Munce ensure that his comeback was a positive experience.

Once the international ban had been lifted, Munce could once again choose where he wanted to ride.

The fifteen years Munce has spent riding from a Sydney base has been good to him, but the landscape has changed.

The generally smaller fields in Sydney these days naturally dictates that the chase for rides is more competitive than it has ever been. Whereas riding fees were a given core income at one stage and big race opportunities there for the big names, now jockeys have to pay serious attention to realistically assessing their opportunities and planning their future.

Glen Boss was perhaps the most high profile jockey to leave Sydney. He went to Melbourne claiming he had that decision forced on him as his riding engagements in Sydney simply just dried up.

Larry Cassidy famously left the Sydney riding ranks and moved to Brisbane a year ago. Famously ... because Cassidy was moving away from participation in a high profile racing status area to a center of supposedly lesser standing.

It worked for him and it worked for Brisbane who has welcomed a quality addition to its riding ranks.

Now Munce has followed Cassidy’s lead ... the change of the landscape in Sydney and Munce’s own change in life’s priorities motivated that decision.

There is no doubt that success again beckons Munce.

It is believed that, while he might not have a retainer with the new Patinack setup at the Gold Coast, the chances are he will start as the number one rider for that branch of the John Thompson stable where the number of horses is expected to be increased to around sixty in the near future.

That is a fair foundation on which to kick off a new start to a riding career.

Chances are that Munce won’t be the last to consider a climate change.

Perhaps in five years time Queensland racing authorities will look at Cassidy and thank him for the significance of his decision which helped lead others to believe that there was a future north of the border.

Perhaps Queensland racing participants ... trainers, owners etc ... should actively even be encouraging and offering other top riders incentives to resettle.

Afterall, in essence, the true attraction of any sporting spectacle is directly proportional to the quality of the players involved and we all know racing has to do something to increase the attraction of the sport (ok industry) to the greater public.

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