Retired jockey Keith Ballard honoured for legendary career

By Andrew Smith

The ballroom of The Star in Brisbane is about as far away as you can get from the dusty racetracks in the North West of the Sunshine State.

But for Keith Ballard, it was those country racecourses where he dedicated years of his life to the thoroughbred code that led to him being recognised on the national stage. 

The retired jockey was presented with the Spirit of Racing Award at the recent 2024/25 Australian Racehorse of the Year Awards for his significant contribution to the industry.

Ballard drew the curtain on a riding career spanning 55 years when he rode in his final race at Mount Isa in November 2024, at the age of 71.

At the time, the Mount Isa-based hoop was the oldest active jockey in Australia, having kicked off his riding career at Longreach in 1969.

While he never rode a winner on a metropolitan track, the veteran claimed over 1,700 wins throughout his storied career including a Darwin Cup, Cleveland Bay Handicap in Townsville and a swag of regional Cup races.

Ballard was joined by wife Denise and son Dan at the ceremony in Brisbane, along with long-term stablehand Tammy Parry.

Speaking after being honoured on stage, the 72-year-old was his typical humble self as he explained his shock at hearing his name read out as this year’s recipient.

“I didn't know about it until a minute ago…they kept it from me,” Ballard said with a grin.

“We were always coming to the Awards and I never anticipated being recognised like that, especially from an individual point of view.

“I was a bit embarrassed actually - it’s great to accept it on behalf of country racing, and I find that rewarding.

“I just take it on behalf of country racing and hope country racing can have a lift off it.”

Ballard is just the third recipient of the Spirit of Racing Award.

Racing Australia had previously honoured racing participants with a Chairman’s Award, which was replaced with the current honour for the 2021 awards ceremony.

1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero and his late owner Graham Salisbury were the inaugural recipients, with legendary jockey Rod ‘Rocket’ Kemp taking home the honour in 2023.

In presenting the 2025 award, host and retired jockey Simon Marshall described Ballard as “a revered hoop and great family man, and a great ambassador for the sport - not just in country Queensland from where he hails, but across our great nation.”

Indeed, it was family that Ballard paid tribute to when asked about the secret to his success in the caper.

Additionally, on the same day his friend and trainer Peter Moody was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ballard cited the decades of hard work as another key to longevity.

“That's been the biggest part of my success, the support that I've had from my family - my wife and son obviously but I've got six brothers and they’ve always been great supporters, and it does carry a huge benefit,” Ballard said.

“The business has been enormous to me - I've enjoyed 55 years of it, and I could spend weeks talking about how good the business has been to me.

“I come from a pretty simple, hard-working family, and we've got some wonderful, hard-working people in the business.

“When you look at people like Gai Waterhouse, Chris Waller, Peter Moody…the first time I met Pete, he was knee-deep in a 20-foot pile of sawdust with a number eight shovel.

“To see where he's climbed to today, the hard work is the building blocks to all that.”

The Ballard family is well known throughout the North West region, having helped keep the code afloat as long-term, valued contributors.

Their dedication saw them inducted into the Queensland Racing Hall of Fame in 2021.

Almost a year on from hanging up the silks, Keith has been enjoying more time with grandchildren Lilly and Tommy.

As for missing competing in the saddle, he is still scratching that itch somewhat and keeping fit riding trackwork for Denise at their Mount Isa base.

They are hopeful of seeing more hoops head out to the North West country racing circuit

“Denise has trained up to 17 horses a year, but she's wheeling that back to four or five, and I'm still riding them in trackwork,” Ballard said.

“So the only part that's missing is the race riding, but at 71, it was time to give that up.

“We have a couple of trainers that have got good numbers like Tanya Parry, Shryn Royes and Jay Morris.

“They all get healthy numbers, but we just need more jockeys to ride them.”