Wolfgram keen to give back to next generation

By Jordan Gerrans

At 31 years of age, former Queensland jockey Travis Wolfgram has been connected to the racing game since the earliest moments of his life.

The son of Phillip (former jockey) and Tracey (former trainer) recalls heading from the hospital not long after his birth to the races to watch his father ride.

He rode with distinction for more than a decade across Queensland and New South Wales before his career was cut short due to an injury back in March of 2022.

As Wolfgram has been linked with the racing industry from his earliest days, it made perfect sense for the former hoop to remain in the game following his retirement from race day commitments.

Wolfgram has recently started with Racing Queensland as an Industry Educator.

While the former hoop would dearly love to still be out there competing at the races, he believes the new gig is the next best option.

“To help people to get into this industry that I love so much, it is an honour,” Wolfgram said.

“I love racing, I love the thrill of it and I love to win.

“Now, I might get more satisfaction from being able to see people come up from the very beginning, that do not know a lot, to get them up to the metropolitan level.

“That will be a big thrill.”

After debuting at Gympie on the bush circuit in September of 2012, Wolfgram tallied more than 400 winners in his career with the Gold Coast, Ipswich and Doomben being his most prolific tracks.

He competed in three Group 1 events as well as a number of other black-type features.

Wolfgram laughs that he hopes that he can become a better teacher and educator than he was as a jockey.

He is keen to work with young people and provide his knowledge he learnt from his time riding around fitness and nutrition.

Wolfgram joins the likes of Shane Scriven, Michael Cahill, Carl Spry, Dale Spriggs, Faith Elliott, Briony Moore (nee Dunn) and Robbie Fradd as retired hoops who are working to mentor the next generation of riders in the Sunshine State.

RQ’s Training and Program Manager Stephen Butler expects Wolfgram’s career in the saddle will be valuable in his post-riding venture.

“Travis has the runs on the board and that is very important when it is about giving back to the industry,” Butler said.

“He will instill his knowledge and being a young person, students will resonate with him quite well.

“They will be looking up to him after the calibre of what he has achieved in the past.

“Travis’ role as a jockey has provided him with first-hand understanding of industry expectations, animal welfare responsibilities, rider safety, performance preparation and the realities of racing operations.”

Wolfgram will play a role in delivering Certificate II in Racing Industry, Certificate III in Racing (Trackwork Rider) Jockey Pathway and Certificate IV in Racing (Jockey) to students across the state.

“Travis will be giving students a taster into the industry in the Certificate II in Racing Industry for school-based students,” Butler said.

“He will be showing students how to work in a stable environment as well as the broader network within the racing industry.

“They will go to the races and see all the different roles people can play within the industry.

“For kids, it is really exciting for that 12-month period.

“Travis’ insight into the demands placed on emerging riders and stable personnel now positions him as a valuable contributor to the RTO’s training delivery and workforce development objectives.”

Wolfgram took a fall in March of 2022 and has not ridden in a race since.

Before starting with RQ recently, he was employed at the Gold Coast Turf Club overseeing trackwork in the morning as well as working behind the barriers on race day on top of jump-outs and trials.

“It was good to see racing in another role because as a jockey, you sometimes forget that there are so many roles that play apart in race day, outside of yourself and a horse,” Wolfgram said.

“To get to step back and see it from the other side of the fence, it was an honour and it has helped me to gain knowledge and skills that I can now pass on to the younger students.

“That is not just about being a jockey, but it is about how the barrier attendant staff go about their jobs to help the riders.

“Hopefully I can bring a bit of both.”

While Wolfgram thought he had many years ahead of him in the riding ranks before his career was cut short, he appreciates his new opportunity to stay connected with racing.

“My health is at a stage now where I can take on a role like this,” he said.

“Stepping away and doing something like this job, it gives me a chance physically and mentally to step away from the grind of racing and the physical demands of it.

“I can do something less strenuous. This job will be mentally challenging for me because I have never done anything like this before, so I am really looking forward to it.

“For an opportunity like this to pop up for me to still be in racing, just in a different format, it has definitely helped me on the mental side.

“A job like this is always something I thought I would do when I finished riding, it has just come around a little bit faster than I expected.”

Wolfgram’s father Phillip collected more than 600 winners as a rider which included half-a-dozen at black-type level before retiring in 2012.

Following Travis’ retirement, Tracey has scaled back her training commitments and hasn’t taken a runner to the races since December of 2023.

While Wolfgram competed against the best jockeys in the country at the highest level at times during his racing tenure, a maiden at Kilcoy stands out the most when he reflects on his career.

Mum Tracey had been away from training her own team for a long period of time before acquiring Boogielu.

The Wolfgram mother-and-son team took Boogielu to Kilcoy in January of 2022 and they walked away with a memorable debut victory over the 800 metre scamper.

“This was a troubled horse that my Mum had got with a few owners,” Travis said.

“We put a lot of work into him and took him to Kilcoy on that day.

“We were confident he would run a big race that day and it was the first horse Mum had trained to win in about six years since I moved back from New South Wales. That was a real family win.”