Martin Harley’s long road to fairytale comeback

By Andrew Smith

It was the comeback that Hollywood script writers could only dream of.

A little over 12 months to the day since a race fall that almost ended his career, jockey Martin Harley steered Abounding to victory in the 2024 Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.

To understand the enormity of the win on the Gold Coast, you have to go back to Doomben on January 11, 2023 – the day the Irishman was on board Deferential in the third race of the day.

“We left the barriers, around the 100-metre mark and a few horses crossed over quite quickly and I basically put it in a car version to most people - it’s like hitting someone else’s back bumper, catching a heel of another horse and I was catapulted out of the saddle,” Martin said.

“On the rebound it was like a somersaulting and my neck came first, and unfortunately, I did three bones in my neck.

“I was knocked out there for about six-and-a-half minutes.

“For a simple fall as it was, it ended up being quite a bad one but as they say sometimes the simple ones can end up being the worst and that was definitely my scenario that day.”

The injury list included fractures to Harley’s C0, C1 and C2, shoulder blade and two ribs, along with a brain bleed.

For Martin’s wife Brittney, she initially feared the worst while at work on that Wednesday afternoon.

“It was very unusual for me to experience something like that, I had no racing background…since meeting Martin, obviously it’s a totally different world and a lot of people don’t see those real dark moments that we have,” Brittney said.

“The day of the injury, I got the call from his manager - my phone was just running hot and I just knew that he’d fallen.

“This has happened to him in 2014…I was expecting the worse knowing he’d broken his back and neck before.

“I got to the hospital, Martin knew his name and he knew he was in Brisbane but didn’t know what day it was and what had happened – the concussion was really bad and just floating in and out of consciousness saying random things.

“He said ‘can you book me in for cryotherapy because I’ve got the Magic Millions in two days’ and he’s all cut up with his neck brace on and then he’d float back and be conscious again and say can you call the Edmonds boys to say ‘I’ll be fine to race in two days.’ “

That Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained horse that Harley was booked to ride on the big day at the Gold Coast was Alpine Edge, who would go on to win the $1 million Magic Millions QTIS Open.

While it hurt to see one of his rides romp to victory in the race, Harley had focused his attention on starting his recovery.

“When I had the fall, we had a wedding planned in Ireland nine months after and the first thing I thought to myself was am I even going to be able to make that, am I going to be able to walk down the aisle?” Harley said.

“As mad as it sounds, when you do your neck, you do worry about those things.

“Shortly after the injury in hospital, they were very content that I was going to walk again and we got that good news pretty soon so for me that was a win straight away.

“To be honest all and all it was a pretty good recovery, I think a lot of people were expecting me to be out for a lot longer than what I was.

“The healing was a bit of a pain in the backside - obviously had four screws into your skull and I had to get them adjusted every week.

“As each scan came back, the healing was going good so once you see things going the right way it’s much easier trying to cope with it then.”

Those four screws were to hold the halo brace that would help the 34-year-old regain strength in his neck while the bones healed.

Speaking to his doctor in the UK who treated him for a broken neck suffered at Lingfield Park Racecourse 10 years ago, Harley opted against surgery that would restrict his rotation and end his racing career.

Instead, he endured the halo for four months while battling some of the mental demons that had started to creep in.

“Probably two-and-a-half months into the injury, there was plenty of days that I had a good, long hard think about it – wondering whether I’d be able to get back on a horse and be as good as what I was before and try and score at the top level or even winners again,” Harley said.

“There was - I wouldn’t say dark days - but a few days that I had too much time to think about it and probably overthinking it.

“But I never lost the will to want to get back on the horse and I think that was the winning of it really, because when you lose that I think the game’s over for all of us.

“Britt being my side was amazing…she was full sure I was definitely going to get back on a horse and kept it real positive all the way along which was good rather than seeing the negative side so that was very, very important at a crucial time in my career.”

Despite that, Brittney also admits there were days when she doubted whether a return to riding was the best option for her husband-to-be.

“Coming back from the specialists, getting the medical advice of what it was to look like if he had a race and was to fall again - obviously we had our wedding coming up, we still haven’t had a family, all things like that that are more important than racing,” Brittney said.

“But then you weigh it up and him living a life for five-and-a-half months not racing and seeing the way that he was, he wasn’t himself.

“Ultimately his happiness was what we decided on, so I had to swallow any bit of fear or anxiety that I had and thought at least he’s not going to be a pain in the arse at night-time and he’ll be happy going back on the track and doing what he loves!”

The hoop took to his physio exercises with the same determination that had seen him win multiple Group 1 races, including the 2015 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Almost five months after the fall, Harley returned to racing in the QTIS 2YO Handicap at Ipswich on Bohemian Lad on May 27.

His first winner back in the saddle came with Sunfall at Doomben the following week.

It was in late June that Harley really knew he was back to his best when he rode five winners in one meeting at Callaghan Park.

“It was only Rockhampton, but still any day you can get five winners on any given card, it was a massive confidence booster for me just to know that I could actually do it again,” Harley said.

“It definitely gave me the pep in my step that I needed and we continued from there.”

Brittney added: “Sometimes they go a couple of weeks without winners and they think do I still have it, am I riding the same?

"He just needed that little bit of luck and a little bit of a confidence boost.

“All other jockeys have those low moments - all it takes is that winner to make them believe this is what I’m meant to be doing.”

The pair eventually married in September 2023 in the small village of Adare in County Limerick.

But his redemption story on the track was complete when he scored in the Rob Heathcote-trained Abounding in the $3 million Guineas on Millions Day.

Post-race, the emotions spilled over for Harley, his family, friends and connections, notching his biggest victory in Australia a year after thinking he may never ride again.

“I still can’t really get over it at the moment - obviously after winning, I knew I won the race, I couldn’t even celebrate and I was just like ‘did this really happen?’” Harley said.

“Cantering back it felt quite surreal and then started to sink in a little bit.

“Then getting back and the crowd was cheering and applauding and Brittney was going mad in the mounting yard - it was good to see all the smiles and it felt very special to be honest.”

Harley had previously returned to England to ride but felt himself losing his appetite and enjoyment for race riding.

Having originally met Brittney while competing in Melbourne, the couple decided to relocate to the Sunshine State in November 2022 and have not looked back, despite Martin's injury.

“They put on a great show here - the prize money’s brilliant, the tracks are good, the new Gold Coast track is a 10 out of 10 for me, they’ve done a fantastic job,” Harley said.

“With Queensland now coming into the Winter Carnival, there’s plenty of Group 1s coming up.

“Unfortunately, last year I didn’t really get much of a feel for the carnival during the injury, but obviously watch racing with great interest so hopefully this year I get a clean run at it and get a feel for a few of the better races and judge it from there.

“For me, I’ve had plenty of success when I came here, loving every minute of it.

“It’s better quality of life for me compared to England – sunshine, race three or four days a week for good prize money, you can’t complain about that.”

Adding to his Group 1 tally would be the ultimate goal for Harley but there are other small milestones he is yet to tick off.

“I’m not a million miles off a thousand winners so that would probably be a little goal for myself after breaking my neck twice and breaking my back once,” Harley said.

“I did say to someone if there’s any truth in saying things happen three times and you’re done, then I’m well and truly done, no more injuries - please God!

“I want to just keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully I continue to get the support that I’ve got before the injury and certainly after it by all the trainers, it’s been massive really.

“Without them, the winners wouldn’t be happening and my career would be short-lived.”