Episode 304: Corey Brown

The champion jockey is still coming to terms with the fact that he’ll never ride again. Corey was happy to talk to us about the announcement of his retirement and the nightmare he’s lived through in the two years since his life changing accident at Eagle Farm. He talks of the day his specialist told him he desperately needed spinal fusion surgery. Corey talks of his horror when WorkCover told him they needed a second opinion before the surgery could be approved. The champion jockey explains that he was on the brink of mounting a court challenge to WorkCover’s ruling. Corey talks of the specialist’s findings and the six hour operation that followed. He talks of the agonizing moment when he quizzed the Doctors about the chances of a comeback. Corey says the reality struck home when he made the official announcement of his retirement. The popular jockey looks back on his first official outing since the accident- a Taree race meeting featuring the race named in his honour, the Corey Brown Cup. Time to reminisce and Corey remembers the indignity of falling at his very first race ride. He talks of his first winner only a week later. The Gr 1 specialist talks of his family background. His grandfather and father were both jockeys. Corey takes us through the circumstances leading up to his 2009 Melbourne Cup win on Shocking and the bizarre way in which the race was run. He elaborates on four minor placings in the Cup between 2002 and his second victory on Rekindling in 2017. The retired jockey looks back on his day of days in 2003 when he rode four winners at the Randwick spring meeting including three Gr 1’s. Corey pays tribute to the headline horse Apache Cat and the 5 Gr 1’s he won on the exciting sprinter. He recalls his eighteen months retainer with Lee Freedman and the story behind their much publicised split. Corey reflects on the thrill of representing Australia in the Shergar Jockeys Challenge at Royal Ascot. Brown explains his reasons for nominating Exceed And Excel as the best horse he rode. He talks of his extensive media involvement with Sky, Racing.Com and the Seven Network. Cory concludes with a mention of his resolve to regain strength and mobility before he even thinks about his future.