Jockey Jim fighting on

By Jordan Gerrans

Champion jockey Jim Byrne has vowed to get back to race riding as the program that he has dominated across his career rolls around for another year.

The honour roll for all the major Ipswich feature races is littered with the name of the multiple Group 1-winning hoop.

The 53-year-old has claimed the Ipswich Cup, Gai Waterhouse Classic and Eye Liner Stakes on several occasions throughout his glittering career.

While the surname Byrne will not be in the form guide for Saturday’s bumper program from the Ipswich Turf Club, the hard-working hoop says he is determined to get back in the saddle on race day in the near future.

He has not ridden in a race since the middle of April.

That does not mean the experienced hoop isn’t fighting fit.

He still trains five times a week and has his weight stable at 55kg as of this week.

Byrne says plenty of people have asked him if he was considering hanging up the boots, but he is keen to get back into it.

 “I have had a good discussion with my family and I have made commitments to my family about holidays that are coming up,” Byrne said.

“But, I am in the process of renewing my licence – so fingers crossed.

“I have never mentioned retiring, I have always said I am stepping away for a bit and reassessing it.

“I have made commitments to my family so I will weigh up everything when it comes to that time.”

The Ipswich Cup program is a raceday that Byrne has arguably made his own over his career.

He is a three-time Cup champion.

That includes aboard Sphenophyta in 2006, He's Back On Track in 1997 and the 1995 Cup aboard Ardeed.

Kevin Lattimer prepared Ardeed.

Byrne rode Ardeed in the start before and after the Ipswich Cup in black-type races and they were the only three times he was legged aboard the gelding during his career.

Of all his major triumphs at the Bundamba-based facility, the Cup victory aboard Ardeed stands out above the rest, the respected hoop says.

“If I recall correctly, I took off really early that day,” he said. 

“They were going very, very slow and I took off at the 1000 metre mark.

“That day, I thought it was a really good ride to be able to win it.”

It is not just the Cup that Byrne has found success riding in on Ipswich’s biggest day.

He has won the Eye Liner Stakes twice dating back to 2014 with Alma’s Fury and I’m A Rippa, who were both prepared by premier conditioner Tony Gollan.

Bryne is also a two-time Gai Waterhouse Classic winner in the last couple of decades, as well.

He won the sprint feature aboard Jazz Song for Mick Price in 2014 and with Clarry Conners’ Dorf Command in 2009.

The hoop almost recorded a day for the record books back in 2014.

He won the Gai Waterhouse Classic and Eye Liner Stakes as well as finishing second in the Cup.

According to Racing And Sports’ statistics, Bryne is nearing on 3,000 career winners.

Of that total, 608 of the victories have come at Ipswich - which is his third most prolific venue in the Sunshine State - as he boasts a 16.4 percent winning percentage at the venue.

“It is definitely not a tough track to ride,” he said.

“It is about understanding the make-up of the track.

“You need to be uninterrupted coming into the straight because it is a very, very short straight.

“If you can pinch that bit of a break on them, you tend to be able to hold them off.

“It is just understanding the track, that is what I thought it was about.”

The Ipswich Cup meeting is annually one of the highest attended race days of the carnival, with around 20,000 people packing into the venue, which is west of Brisbane.

The popularity of the race day has only grown in recent years as Ipswich Turf Club transforms parts of their race club into a music festival venue for the occasion.

The day boasts an infield party at the Ipswich racecourse and features an all-day DJ entertainment.

For the riders, it is certainly a unique occasion compared to other venues they usual compete at.

“It is always big crowds and they are very, very close to you,” Bryne said.

“It is a crazy day and one of those days where everyone gets pumped up.

“It is very much a country race day; it is always pumping in the middle. It is a free-flowing sort of day; something is always happening.

“The people are on top of you as a jockey and you can feel how close they are to you.

“Anything can happen at the Ipswich Cup, it is one of those kind of days.”

While race riding has taken a back seat for Byrne in recent times, he is still heavily involved in the industry as the president of the Queensland Jockeys' Association.

It is a body he is passionate about advocating for and says it is crucial all former and current jockeys are celebrated and cared for.

The Jockeys Association runs an annual raceday where they invite all former jockeys to the track to recognise their contribution to the industry.