Episode 435: Brock Ryan

Great to catch up with a young jockey who’s endured the lion’s share of bad luck but keeps bouncing back into the winner’s circle. He’s riding work again following major shoulder surgery, and is champing at the bit to go to the races. Brock begins by talking of the newly arrived son who has helped him through a tough rehabilitation.  He talks of the transition into parenthood for he and partner Madison. Brock explains the surgery he recently underwent at Sydney’s San Hospital. He says he did plenty of work behind the scenes before returning to trackwork at Kembla Grange. The young jockey takes us back to early days at Yamba when surfing was his primary sporting interest. He joined the workforce at a local caravan park. Brock has never forgotten the first time he watched horse racing on television. He was instantly besotted and took immediate action. He says he couldn’t wait to become an apprentice. He started at Kembla Grange. Brock remembers the retired racehorse who taught him the basics. He parted company with the mare more than once. He recalls with some amusement his first official barrier trial. Ryan looks back on his first serious accident. Like most of the others he had no control. He looks back on his first race ride at the Sapphire Coast and his first win at Adaminaby. Brock talks of the day he won on the budding stakes horse Jungle Edge. He speaks with affection of the wonderful support he received from the late Gwenda Markwell. The talented rider talks of a freak mishap on Wellington Boot day 2017. It happened past the winning post but left him with a serious injury. He talks of the anguish he suffered from a medical condition unrelated to racehorses. Brock looks back on a short stint at Randwick with the John O’Shea stable and a run-in with the law which left him without a driver’s licence.  The jockey reflects on his decision to turn his back completely on racing, and a return to Yamba. He says it wasn’t long before he was missing racing. He talks of his association with father and son training team Rob and Luke Price. Rob has been his valued tutor. Brock looks back on an early association with the Team Hawkes stable who put him on a couple of very talented horses. He looks back on his association with brilliant filly Jamaea. He was preparing for his first ride in a Golden Slipper when lady luck deserted him again. Brock has indelible memories of the day he rode four winners at a Rosehill Saturday metropolitan meeting. The jockey talks of the highs and lows of his association with the ill fated galloper Count de Rupee. A close second in the Golden Eagle and a win in The Gong took him to racing’s biggest stage. Brock talks of the support he was getting from a wide range of stables before his shoulder surgery. A nice chat with a very likable young man.