ROBBIE FRADD - THE BIGGER PICTURE

By Graham Potter | Friday, January 27, 2023

Robbie Fradd’s recovery from major, triple by-pass heart surgery is progressing well enough physically and, at the same time, he is also steadily coming to terms with the fact that he has not been able to end his forty-year career as a jockey on his own terms.

“I’m getting there. Still got a bit to go, but I’m feeling much, much better than I did a week ago,” said Fradd. “I’m moving around ... walking around. I did get out to Jaden Lloyd’s twenty-first the other day. It was good to get out of the house.

“It’s been pretty important for me just to rest up for the first three weeks. The doctor said to me it was a pretty major operation and that he didn’t want me overdoing things ... like picking up anything heavy and that type of thing, but, you know me, its hard to keep me in one place.

“So, I walk around. I go to the shops. I can’t drive yet ... so, yeah, it's sort of boring, but it is a case of having to listen to the doctor.

“My lifestyle before this was so active ... so I’m just not used to the change yet, but I have to do it. That’s the thing. I just have to rest up if I’m going to recover quickly.

“You have got to accept the reality of the situation,” stated Fradd. “There is nothing much more you can do.

"It is a health issue and health is more important than anything else, in this case, to me and my family.

“It’s obviously not how I wanted to go out. unfortunately it is a forced way and I’ll just have to take it from here.

“I’ll find something to do moving forward, I’m sure. While I’m recovering, I’ll think about a few things and decide what path I’ll take.

“I’m probably open to all options ... not just looking at opportunities in racing. I’ll be looking for something that is not too stressful.

“I’ve had forty years of that ... so I’m looking for something I’m going to enjoy at a slower pace and that I’ll be able to look forward to it. Something that will keep me busy. Something that can, maybe, make a bit of difference.

WHY A COMEBACK IS ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE QUESTION:

“A comeback? No chance,” said Fradd with solid conviction.

“I’ve got all staples down the front ... a titanium clamp on the top somewhere, so it would be a very silly decision to try to come back to riding.

“Even if my heart might be good, what happens if you fall with all of those things going on in your body. It will always be in the back of your mind. it’s a big risk. I’m not going to take that risk.

“That’s just the way it is and I had to come to that decision. It was hard, but unavoidable.

“And it forces you to take stock of your life overall.

“I think there was a lot of contributing factors,” continued Fradd. “My diet is not very good. A lot of energy drinks is probably not very good. Smoking is not very good ... and it was obviously the build-up of the calcium that caused most of my problems.

“That’s another reason why I don’t want to go back to riding because I’d have to go back to that stupid diet ... not that I was ever heavy ... but, for example, I didn’t eat om race-days.

“To state the obvious, I don’t think that is too good for you.

“I don’t want to go back to that ... so, even though my retirement decision was forced on me due to medical reasons, there were other factors like that that which made a difficult decision ... like I say, it was hard ... a little earlier to take.

“So ... no ... there is no way back for me.”

HOW IT ALL UNFOLDED:

“There were kind of small warnings,” said Fradd. “Just shortness of breath a couple of times ... now and again, not always ... and just being a bit tired. I ignored that at first and then I thought I’d just go for a blood test ... and it rolled on from there.

‘There is a cardiac place they sent me to for a stress test, and they picked up something they weren’t happy about. They sent me for an angiogram two days later which picked up the two arteries that were kinda blocked. Thank goodness they did.

“The heart specialist himself pulled out a model of the heart and showed me which ones were blocked. He said to me you probably suffered a heart attack at some stage. I said, I don’t know about that, it must have been a very mild one though.

“He said, no, you have ... but you wouldn’t even know. You could have got a bit of chest pain, just quickly, or it might have felt like reflux or something ... but you have definitely had one.

“I said, oh, ok. What can you say?

“And then the surgery followed.”

LOOKING BACK:

“I’m happy with my career ... but I probably could have achieved more,” said Fradd, continuing with his very honest self-assessment, proving that you don’t lose your competitive instinct just because you hang up your riding boots.

“There were times where I let certain situations get to me ... or get away from me a little bit.”

“Besides that, yeah, I’m very happy with my career. I’ve been to a lot of places where a lot of people won’t be able to go ... and seen the world, so it’s been very good.

“My career opened up a lot of doors ... from South Africa ... to Hong Kong ... Singapore ... and Australia, the place I’ve always wanted to come and make my home.

“And obviously, there’s the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made over a long period of time.

“I consider myself very fortunate and lucky.”

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS:

“Winning the Jockey’s Championship in Hong Kong in the 1999/20 season would be one of the highlights of my career,” volunteered Fradd.

“Perhaps even more than that would be riding the first ever horse to leave Hong Kong to race internationally.”

That horse was Fairy King Prawn, who also became the first Hong Kong horse to win a Group 1 outside of Hong Kong when he landed the Yasuda Kinen, one of the jewels’ in the crown of Japanese racing in 2000.

“Again, I was just very fortunate to be part of all of that ... and that it was a successful trip. made it even more special.

“Rocket Man was another horse, amongst several other good horses, with which I had a great association.

“And then, of course, there was winning the Stradbroke on Tyzone. The Stradbroke would definitely be one of my highlights. If you are a Queensland based jockey that’s the race you want to win.

“Unfortunately, that was run under Covid restrictions with no public ... no fans ... in the grandstand.

“If it had not been during the time of those Covid restrictions, possibly the field would have been stronger had there been more freedom of movement with horses and trainers ... but, at the end of the day it is still the Stradbroke, it is a Group 1 and you have still got to win it ... and I did.

TWO PREMIERSHIP STORIES:

In spite of not having been in the saddle since December 21, Fradd still leads the 2022/23 Gold Coast Jockey’s Premiership by ten winners.

Clearly, he was well on his way to achieving his aim of winning that Premiership when his medical condition ended that charge.

“It was a goal of mine this season ... to finish on top at the Gold Coast,” admitted Fradd.

“I transitioned. I went over from town to the Gold Coast with that intent. I think it was a good decision because I love riding my winners. It doesn’t matter where I ride them. I just love riding winners.

“In the past, I also tried very hard to win the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership.“

In the five seasons from the 2016/17season and the 2020/21 season, Fradd finish third in the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership on four occasions with a second in the 2019/20 being the closest he came to landing that distinction.

“That year the appeals system possibly robbed me of the chance of winning the Premiership,” said Fradd. “The rider who was ahead of me (Baylee Nothdurft) had something like three months suspension pending on his plate ... and he obviously appealed that ...which he had every right to do under the system.

"It was absolutely his prerogative to do that, so I’m not complaining about that at all.Obviously, Baylee had a great season and all credit to him.

"All I’m saying is it was a definite disappointment for me.not to land a Brisbane Premiership. I ended up five winners short that season ... and that was the closest I got."

So, Fradd is still those ten winners in the lead in the Gold Premiership at this time. With only half the season gone it is probably a bridge too far to not expect any rival to go past Fradd’s total, but the old theory of alreadt having the score on the board while others still have to get there still applies ... until further notice.

“Maybe if a need a winner or two with a couple of weeks of the season left I’ll come back and ride a couple to get there,” joked Fradd.

GIVING THANKS:

“That’s the way it was,” said Fradd.

“Now, I have another aim I will tackle as soon as I can.

“When I’m up and well and can drive, I’ll probably come into the races. There are many people I want to thank in person ... people that I won’t be seeing on a regular basis.

“Hopefully I can get to thank everybody. There are so many of them. Obviously, I can’t get to thank them all individually because there are so many of them ... but, they’ll know who they are ... the owners, trainers who have given me opportunities and others who have shown me so much support along the way.

“I’d like to thank them all, including the stewards. They play a big part in racing, and I have got a lot of respect for them. They have been wonderful to me.

“It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t pass on my thanks to all of these people ... because I really do appreciate what so many people have done for me.”

Well said Robbie!

HRO joins many others in wishing Ribbie Fradd all of the very best in the future.

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