Author: Abby Delucyk

By Ray Hickson

Corey Brown’s career in the saddle didn’t end the way he wanted but the premiership winning jockey has found his groove in his role in guiding the next generation.

In an ideal world Brown, 46, would still be entrenched in the Sydney riding ranks. The desire to compete with the likes of James McDonald and the most envied jockey line up in the country is still there.

A serious back injury suffered in a race fall in 2019 left Brown wondering what his future looked like after being told his riding days were over.

Now, he’s just under a year into a position with Racing NSW as Head Jockey Coach, and head of a team of experienced former jockeys, charged with ensuring the future is bright for the emerging young men and women who share his passion for racing.

He complements that job with his gig as a presenter for Sky Channel meaning he always has eyes on what the apprentices are up to.

“Being a jockey has been my life. Since I was 14 I’ve been sitting on a horse’s back,’’ Brown said.

“After I broke my back I was praying and hoping I’d get back to riding and after 14 or 15 months they said I’d never ride again.

“Mentally, it was very challenging. I had a lot on my plate. Then Sky Channel wanted me and that was a bit of an outlet to get out of the house and start doing things again.

“When this role came along it was a bit of a saviour. I’m not saying I don’t know where I would have ended up but it just came at exactly the right time.

“I’ve always taken a keen interest in the apprentices, even when I was riding I used to always say I’d love to have my own academy. It was quite fitting when the job came along.”

Brown, the Sydney Jockeys Premiership champion of 2001/02, says he isn’t the ‘office job’ type so is in his element when he’s on the ground.

What he’s excited about is the chance to not only be a mentor to future jockeys but pass on his experience from just under 30 years in the saddle, 49 Group 1 wins and almost 2500 race victories via day-to-day guidance and intensive sessions at Apprentice School, based at Scone run through the Team Thoroughbred NSW Training Academy.

And it’s not just about riding. It’s about presentation, diet and a life conducive to being the best.

“I haven’t moulded the job to where I exactly want it at the moment,’’ he said.

“They’re all at different levels so we teach them different things. Not just the riding side.

“Things like taxation, life skills like ironing and cooking. How to watch your weight instead of running to McDonalds and grabbing a burger. How to cook a piece of meat or fish, showing them a small bit of preparation isn’t that hard. Blend that with the right balance of fitness training and exercise – stay healthy and be ready to compete.

“I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve gone to the races and seen apprentices with unironed shirts or silks. It’s not just the riding side of it, it’s how to deal with people.

“You’ve got to know how to handle yourself, handle media and the stewards room. This time around for the third and fourth year (apprentices) I had a real estate agent with a broker there.

“Every avenue we can go down to teach them something about everyday life as well as their riding we will do.”

It’s important to note that Brown is part of a big coaching and mentoring team across NSW who are dedicated to the same goal.

Fellow ex-jockey Rodney Quinn and retired trainer Pat Webster oversee the metropolitan and provincial areas, Jamie Whitney covers the South East, Dale Jeffries the Central and Western area, Brad Clark in the Southern District, Scott Thurlow on the Mid North Coast while Cameren Swan (Lower Hunter) and John Powell (Northern Rivers) are recent additions to the team.

“I’ll be watching as much as I can, the days I don’t go to the races I’ll be at home watching every NSW meeting,’’ Brown said.

“If I don’t pick up on something, I get the apprentices to text me and we go over it.

“I’ve got a great team behind me and it’s great to know their ability to comment on things, they know what they’re talking about.

“And we’re about to appoint someone to work under me to deal with the off track stuff.”

There’s no shortage of promising riding talent in all corners of the state and Brown tells them all the same thing.

They can be successful. They can be the next James McDonald. But they must want to learn from their mistakes and get the most out of themselves in all aspects to get there.

“The more exposure you have the easier it becomes and my biggest thing with them at the moment is dedication, commitment and hard work,’’ he said.

“You might have all the ability in the world but your ability isn’t going to take you to the top. I’ve told them all, there’s not one thing you’re going to do that I haven’t already done.

“I tell them if you need a hand with anything, if I haven’t already picked up on it, just come and ask and we’ll sort it out.

“There’s some really nice riders out there. I’m really happy with the likes of Amy McLucas who has started to get a kick along, Tyler Schiller is about to finish, it’s great to see the kids really starting to shine as they’re about to enter the big league.

“We’ve got the Dylan Gibbons’ and Zac Lloyd’s, and beneath them there’s a kid there I reckon I won’t even have to polish, Braith Nock, who hasn’t had a race ride yet. (Since printing, Braith rode his first winner at his first ride).

“Just watching him at the Academy and on horses now in barrier trials and on the equisizer. There won’t be a lot of teaching going on, he’s almost there. It’s exciting and I love seeing it.

“But I haven’t been in it long enough at the moment to claim bragging rights on anyone.”

If any of the budding stars of the saddle share the same passion for racing as Brown, or can have that passion rub off on them, then the apprentice stocks can only get stronger.

It’s still a little bittersweet for the former jockey. Even though he’s come to terms with the fact that his life has taken a different path than what he’d planned he admits he misses the competition and the camaraderie.

“What I miss the most about racing, it sounds weird, is the brotherhood,’’ he said.

“I’ve been in the jockey’s room since I was 15, basically five days a week on average, I spent more time with them than my own family.

“Still to this day when I walk into Racing NSW I feel like I’m ducking for cover, every time I walked in there previously as a jockey it was because I was in strife.

“Once it’s in your blood, I don’t think I’ll ever not have that competitive spirit. I love watching the races because I love to think ‘I would have done this or that’.

“It didn’t end the way I wanted it to. Having this job is as close as I can get to what I love without being out there.”

By Abby Delucyk

With even the slightest knowledge about the racing industry, anyone would have heard of the apprentice jockey taking the world by storm, Anna Roper.

From riding six winners over three days to riding more winners in NSW than any other jockey at the start of 2022, this young jockey’s life has taken an unexpected turn.

“Ever since I can remember I have ridden horses, as my older sisters and Mum always rode so I learnt a lot from them,” Roper said.

“I got my first pony when I was four called ‘Willow’ and he was super naughty and always dropped me, but we learnt a lot together.”

From Mangrove Mountain Pony Club where Anna grew up riding, she went on to learn dressage for some time before moving to show riding where she competed in high-level competitions.

“I had an awesome horse called ‘FBI’ who was a superstar and I could do all disciplines with him.”

After some time in the saddle, Anna moved on from dressage to eventing where she found her calling. Her dedication to eventing led her to win the National Inter School Championships in 2019, the State Inter School Title, and the Australian Youth Dressage Championships in 2016.

It wasn’t until a good friend of Anna’s parents offered her a position to ride trackwork for Greg McFarlane at Gosford in the school holidays, that a 16-year-old Anna was introduced into the racing industry.

The school holidays turned into weekends and before she knew it, she was riding before and after school. The same progression happened with her riding.

“It started as a slow canter which then went into a fast gallop and then a jump out. I remember my first jump out on a retired thoroughbred called ‘Sweat ball’ which was very interesting,” Anna described.

With her dream to get into a Vet Science course at University, Anna decided to set aside riding for six months while she focused on completing her HSC. After this year was done, she returned to riding by starting trackwork for Tracey Bartley in Wyong in the hopes of making some extra cash for Uni.

“I always thought about becoming a jockey but just thought I was too heavy and would never make the weight as an apprentice. It was always a dream idea but nothing I thought seriously about.

“Tracey was the one that encouraged me to try it as I started to lose weight while trackwork riding so I gave it a go. It’s been pretty insane since then,” Roper said.

The door opened and before she knew it, Anna discovered her new talent.

She started to turn heads early in the 2022/23 season when she began her apprenticeship and on her initial race ride at Gundagai, she rode her first winner.

“The first couple days of this season has to be a highlight as they put me at the top of the jockey premiership – above J-Mac which was pretty awesome!”

With her success on the rise, Anna’s schedule is a lot more booked than the average 20-year-old by traveling across NSW to ride six days a week as well as getting up at 3am to work in the stables each day.

“Someone I look up to as a mentor is Rachel King as she is so professional and is doing really well as a female in the metropolitan region. She is also super helpful by being more than willing to watch a race replay with me.

“There aren’t that many things I dislike about being jockey because I love it so much. It’s become such a passion that it doesn’t feel like your normal work,” Roper said.

As Anna continues to ride winners, she sets her sights on being successful in the metropolitan region as an apprentice.

“I’ll see how long my body holds up while riding but it would be incredible to win an Everest or Melbourne Cup one day.”

By Abby Delucyk

Moving ashore from Malmo, Sweden to Australia may have been a lifestyle change for apprentice jockey Julia Presits but her love for horses hasn’t wavered.

Ever since she was a young girl, Julia had an interest in horses and grew up riding equestrian by show jumping or eventing in her spare time.

With her love for horses established, Presits started riding in Sweden just for fun to help out a trainer and before she knew it, she had unlocked a passion.

After touching down in Australia, Presits debuted at the Gosford Picnics and started her Australian riding career with a bang by riding her first ever winner ‘Prospectors Helmet’ in the 1600m Class B handicap in November 2019.

“I have always loved horses and thought it would be fun to give it a go at the picnic races,” Presits said.

“It wasn’t until someone said that I was light enough to give riding professionally a go, that I really thought about it. The trainers at the picnics were joking that they needed a wheelbarrow when they picked up my saddles in the jockey room,” Presits said.

Although her riding career in Australia is recent Presits has previously had a successful riding career in Sweden, riding more than 80 race rides with 9 wins.  

Before her racing dreams took her internationally to the shores of Sydney, Julia also held a trainer’s license and trained 17 winners of both her own horses and her sisters.

“Naturally winning is the best part of being a jockey and one day I would love to ride like J Mac,” she said.

Now riding for Gary Portelli, Julia recognises that her favourite ride is when she won the benchmark 64 at Warwick Farm on Walkin’Talkin’ as this was her first metropolitan winner. Presits will look to continue her successful association with Walkin’Talkin’ tonight in Race 8 at Canterbury Park.

“I think the biggest challenge of being a jockey is getting a go and a chance to ride. It’s like any sport and if you don’t ride winners, it can become challenging.

“Someone once told me that it’s 87% about the horse in a race and only 13% the jockey which means if your horse is not good enough, it’s not always easy to win,” Julia mentions.

With previous experience of training back home in Sweden, Julia would like to resume training racehorses one day but not before she gives being a jockey a good shot.

“I want to be a jockey first before I become a trainer as I think you understand racing better if you ride first before training,” Julia said.

As her name is becoming recognisable, Julia sets her sights high with her goal to ride at Royal Randwick in the future.

By Abby Delucyk

After backing up last year’s breakthrough season, star apprentice jockey Dylan Gibbons has continued to soar after making the leap to the metropolitan grade and is now a leading contender to take out the 2022/23 Rising Star Series.

Currently ranking in the top 10 for the Sydney Jockey Premiership, the young riding talent has adjusted to the first-grade league perfectly well by becoming a familiar face in the city. Though he says it’s not as easy as it might look.

“Naturally the best part of being a jockey is winning but there are also hardships involved,” he said.

“The mental side of having to be at the races and get up and go can be challenging both mentally and physically. I think it’s all about having to adapt to deal with this side of it.

“As I am naturally a smaller build, I find it quite easy to manage my weight thankfully as this is also a physical challenge. I set my minimum riding weight at a comfortable weight and learnt very quickly what I can and can’t eat.”

With Gibbons getting increasingly more rides due to his good performance, his schedule is a lot more booked than the average 21-year-old.

“It’s all about finding a good balance between work life and social life. Making sure you have hobbies and things planned for days off otherwise it becomes an endless cycle which isn’t healthy for anyone,” Gibbons mentions.

However the young gun wasn’t born a star in the saddle, only kick starting his dream to become a jockey at age 16 where he sat on a horse properly.

“Riding was a bit of a shock to the system and was a whole new world. Starting to ride was a pretty cool experience and felt like a relief to start my dream to be a jockey,” Gibbons said.

With no better inspiration than his respected father Andrew Gibbons, Dylan has plenty of experience and knowledge to call upon.

“I was always obsessed with racing growing up and had a one-track mind to becoming a jockey. Watching dad ride and the excitement he got when he won was enough to get me hooked and I just couldn’t get away from it. From day one, dad has always been the jockey I look up to.

“I used to make my grandparents take me to the races every Saturday at Newcastle and on school holidays I would go with dad everywhere no matter how far,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons gave an early glimpse of his potential by scoring his first major win, a Group 3 on Festival Dancer at his home track at Newcastle last season for Matthew Smith.