Episode 281: Jon Grisedale

Jon Grisedale tried to quit the saddle when he suffered a complicated leg break at Kembla Grange in 2013. He actually announced his retirement but couldn’t resist the urge to start riding trackwork again.  Eight years down the track he’s enjoying his job more than ever. He begins by acknowledging the long priced winner he rode on the Gold Coast on Saturday for veteran trainer Lennie Wheeler. Jon explains the reason he and his wife Donna moved from Kembla to Coffs Harbour in 2018.  He talks of the wonderful facilities available to trainers at the Coffs racecourse and the nearby beach. The evergreen jockey talks of Donna’s ten year stint with the legendary Jack Denham. She credits her training career to the lessons learned in that decade. Jon talks of his passion for riding trackwork. Six mornings a week he handles 15 or 16 horses. One day recently he went beyond that number. The jockey talks of his English roots and his original apprenticeship to Bede Horan- the man who moulded his career.  Jon looks back on the heady days when he became number three rider for the giant Nebo Lodge operation and the champion trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith. He pays tribute to the best horse he rode during his time with Nebo Lodge. Grisedale reflects on his association with the young NZ trainer who set up shop at Rosehill in 2006. He rode a great deal of trackwork for Chris Waller and was on several of his early winners. Jon talks of the resurgence of older jockeys in recent years. He’s proud to be one of them. This is a stroll down memory lane with a highly respected jockey.