This week racing showed us it can one of the cruelest sports on Earth.
The southern racing fraternity all felt that on Sunday when we lost on of our own.
Our sport is unique.
It brings us moments of ecstasy, excitement and passion. Countering that, it delivers moments of devastating loss and tragedy.
Today when family, friends and the racing industry farewell jockey Rebecca Black those contrasts will be present.
The hurt and grieving will be inescapable for anyone who was close to Rebecca. Through that, though, there will be memories that will be cherished forever.
In this job, I had the privilege of speaking with Rebecca’s friends, family and counterparts.
They shared some of those memories with me. They all spoke of a friendly and vibrant person who was passionate about horses both on and off the track. I hope those fond memories stay with all the people who knew Rebecca well.
Since the tragic events of Sunday, one cannot help but ponder the life of all jockeys.
From all perspectives, but especially from anyone outside the racing industry, it surely must be the most unique job on the planet.
I can only imagine what it must feel like to be atop a finely tuned thoroughbred speeding towards victory, with little else to keep you aboard aside from leather reins and the stirrups.
Then factor in the early mornings, rigorous weight requirements and a raft of other things.
Because we are so used to seeing it every day, week on week, we may not fully appreciate what is involved.
I do hope as the industry moves forward that jockey safety is one thing that is never overlooked in any form.
No matter the circumstances, no matter who or what could possibly have happened, any incident is an opportunity from which to learn.
Whether it is our tracks which need a higher level of scrutiny, the horses, the procedures, the gear or even the weight scale, our industry must strive to keep raising the bar.
It also must happen at every level from stables to studs, to racing clubs and committees to industry management level. I wish all readers and racing industry people the best Christmas.There is plenty to look forward to with a busy southern racing circuit about to heat up.
Here’s hoping for the very best and safest racing. I will be out and about at all Otago race meetings and look forward to catching up with you all.
Turn It Up
With a lack of meetings in the South this weekend we head to Cambridge harness for the feature meeting tomorrow night. I am going to multi the two likely favourites in the two feature races.
Race 8, Marcoola (5) into race 10, Chase The Dream (6). Happy trails.
