Randall making hay while he can

By Jordan Gerrans

Experienced Darling Downs rider Paul Randall is making hay while the sun shines.

The 46-year-old jockey has started the new 2026-27 season with a flurry, riding doubles at Nanango and Morven over the last two weekends.

From just 14 rides in the new campaign, he is striking at 28%.

After battling with his weight at times during his career, he has taken mounts as low as 55kg in recent weeks as he has got on top of his weight.

The veteran hoop battles with a bad back, as well, which limits how much he can ride throughout a season.

As he notes, he can ride consistently for a little while, before needing to take a quick freshen up.

“I'd love to be back riding more so, but my body just can't cop it,” he said.

“Actually, that's what I mean, I'm actually doing really well just to be able to do what I'm doing still.

“So, me racing week in, week out, my body, my back just can't handle it.

“I could ride trackwork all day, but I just can't race ride, stretch my body right out - I just can't do that anymore, unfortunately.

“As you get a little bit older, you probably get a bit wiser with your weight, as well.

“You spend more time during the day working, that keeps your weight down.

“Over the years, just good experience, knowing what I can and can't do, knowing what I can eat, knowing how much exercise you've got to do and just riding plenty of work, which helps, as well.”

With four winners to his name in the 2026-27 season, Randall has already achieved his best tally since the 2021-22 campaign.

He has ridden as many as 30 winners in a term earlier in his career.

As consistent race riding isn’t an option for Randall anymore, he has taken out a dual licence so he can train a few horses over the last few years, while also doing some pre-training and breaking for Paul Wallace, Dale Groves and Wayne Baker, among other trainers, from his Oakey base.

“Riding is more fun and a hobby,” he said.

“But, the training and pre-training side of it, I really enjoy doing that. 

"Usually, people that I ride race day for, I've done a few for Wayne Baker out west and a few other trainers out west.

“They'll send me their horses they need to get going and I'll send them back out there to them.”

Randall’s recent winning spree started at Nanango earlier this month with victories aboard Aliza and Proclaimer for Toowoomba trainer Paul Edwards.

It was Aliza and Edwards who delivered another triumph at Morven on Saturday, before the jockey claimed the local Cup aboard Deciduous for Leslie Baker, who hails from Charleville.

It has been a prolific period for the Baker team, as Deciduous won the Betoota Cup in late August while stablemate Turnstar went over the border to win the Enngonia Cup on Saturday.

Turnstar finished second to Deciduous at Betoota.

Randall was thrilled to nab the Morven winning double, which was capped by the Cup result.

“They kept putting the speed on in the race in the Cup, which didn't suit, but we had the legs at the end of the race, so it was good,” he said.

“Les is an old school trainer and he knows what he's doing. He's great at setting his horses for big races in the country.

“He's certainly up there with the best trainers in Western Queensland. I am actually really happy with it.

“I started doing a little bit with Paul Edwards, mostly the last eight to 10 weeks, as well, with a couple of his horses.

“And, for him to come out and get a double like that at Nanango, I was just over the moon for him.

“Then another one at Morven on Saturday was just cream on the cake for him.”

The well-travelled hoop was full of praise for the Morven Race Club committee after seven races were contested on their dirt surface on Saturday.

“I have never seen so many jockeys and trainers at the Morven Race Club and the track was very well presented,” he said.

“The track was the best I have ever seen it.

“We have seen firsthand this time how good a track can be and jockeys will turn up. 

"The hospitality Morven gave us was amazing.”