Racing

COMING BACK 

Late in the 2014/15 racing season three jockeys –William Pike, Steven Parnham, and Craig Staples all came back from operations needed as a result of their profession.

As racing chaplain, Bernie Ryan, said on the opening day of the new season, August 1, jockeys are the only people who are followed to work by an ambulance. Ryan was speaking publically at the National Jockey Day Celebration at Belmont Park.

 It is therefore surely worth reflecting on the comeback of those three talented jockeys, mentioned above, who did comeback unlike some of their fellow professionals.

William Pike was always going to win the 2014/15 Jockeys premiership, despite being away for months with a left shoulder injury sustained at the Lark Hill trials on April 28.

His absence from the racing, until July 16, no doubt cost him a chance to ride a century of winners on metropolitan tracks. The top rider’s huge lead was unassailable even at that stage.

Resuming, Pike performed like the proverbial German band and had eight winners in 10 days, including a mid-week treble at Belmont on July 22, finishing with 81 city victories for the year.

Trainer Darren McAuliffe summed Pike up to a tee, after the jockey had narrowly scored for him on Rebel King in the HG Bolton Sprint (1200m) on July 25: “there is noone better than William Pike in a tight finish.”

True enough. The Alan Mathews trained, Cool Trade (Pat Carbery), resuming from a spell, looked a winner in the final stages but it got snatched away from the courageous mare in the last stride. It was Rebel King by a nose with a vintage piece of Pike riding.

His trademark horizontal style with his arms pushing his mounts head down just prevailed. Wink And A Nod,a length away, was an unlucky third being unable to gain a clear run in the straight. A black type race victory still eludes brilliant top apprentice, Lucy Warwick, who was runner up to Pike in the Seniors' List and an easy winner of the Apprentices' Premiership.

Also returning from injury was Steven Parnham and, like Pike, he won a squeaker on Dancing Express against Toppadawozza (Jason Whiting).

Parnham had a stress fracture in his knee not helped by a nasty fall at Pinjarra in June 2014, (that also incapacitated Clint Harvey), and he elected to undergo surgery.

The relief of gaining an early win was palpable for the oldest of the three jockey sons of Neville and Carolyn Parnham. It came at his fifth ride back aboard Dancing Express, for his trainer father.

It was a last stride win with his mount just claiming Toppadawozza on the last Saturday meeting of the season.

Parnham finished with 12 wins for the season a far cry from his 36 winners a couple of seasons ago when he was equal third on the Jockeys Premiership with Troy Turner. But what part does injury play on form and confidence? Probably a lot but you will not find Parnham-a quiet and reflective rider- moaning.

Racing has many ups and downs (no pun intended) and Parnham’s form simply epitomises that basic fact. It was not so long ago the young jockey was experiencing Group 1 success, three of them in fact in the Kingston Town Classic. Two of them were for his father with Playing God (2010-11) and Ihtsahymn  for trainer Fred Kersley (2013).

Craig Staples was the quickest of the ‘comeback kids’ to produce a winner and it came at his first ride back, his only ride at Pinjarra, on July 30, aboard Amourio.

Trainer Paul Jordan did the right thing by legging his regular rider up on a real prospect and Amourio and Staples did the rest.

Staples had been out of racing since Usual Suspect blundered at the 900m mark, at Pinjarra on May 21 dislodging the jockey. Staples sustained finger and thumb injuries that kept him out until his resumption ride on Amourio.

It could also be noted Jordan’s own form has changed for the better in recent meetings. After winning with Coruscation, at Ascot on April 11, the senior trainer became becalmed until late July when he suddenly hit a purple patch winning with four different horses, between July 22 and August 1.  Believe You Can, The High Road, Amourio and Senso were Jordan’s only representatives at those meetings. He didn’t need more.

Incidentally, Craig Staples is not the only one in his family who has made a comeback successfully. His wife, Lisa, had been injured at the same track, and position, on February 22, sustaining five broken ribs, a punctured lung and badly sprained ankle.

She resumed two months later and, like her husband, won first up with Emerald and Gold at Northam.

Still later, on June 27 at Carnarvon, she landed a winning treble, booting home Moon Man, Bonacious Princess and Raucous Laughter, respectively, in the first three races.

Jockeys cop plenty of flak, at times, from owners, trainers and punters, but they are also fit, durable and motivated individuals as highlighted by the jockeys mentioned who have turned adversity into triumph.

They deserve respect.