Ten years ago South African racing folk reeled in shock upon hearing Jeff Lloyd had suffered a stroke while still riding actively in Australia, but nobody could have envisaged what came next even considering his great achievements up until then.
The below article looks at his career in three parts, starting from his reflections in the 2005/2006 season after reaching 4000 winners, then the details of the stroke and the amazing comeback, and lastly his final attempt to break a July hoodoo plus his career from then until his official retirement.
Part i): 4000 CAREER WINNERS
Eclipsing 4,000 winners in a riding career is a mark of excellence not achieved by many. Jeff Lloyd surpassed that mark in the 2005/2006 season and was asked at the time about his beginnings and career to date and his new goals.
He began, “I was born in 1961 in Edmonton, a small town in London England and later my family moved to Epping. I remember walking to the betting shops and watching racing on TV most weekends with my dad. I remember him often saying the jockey rode a bad race or left his run too late or went too early. It all seemed pretty easy then but I have now realised how wrong it was to criticise jockeys when we obviously knew nothing about tactics and race riding.”
He continued, “It had never crossed my mind to do anything else other than be a jockey but when my family emigrated to South Africa in 1972 I had no idea there was racing here until I heard the commentary of Yataghan winning the July in 1973. My dad then made inquiries about how to become a jockey.”
So began the career of one of South Africa’s top jockeys.
“I went for tests given by the stipes, some of whom were ex-jockeys and being in their presence struck me with awe. I hoped more than ever I’d be a jockey one day. As a 32 kg fourteen-year-old I passed the test and was sent to the jockeys Academy at Summerveld in Durban. It was tough to be away from my family at such a young age and my first year there was the hardest of my life. We were continually on the go from 3:30 a.m. until bedtime at 8 p.m. doing chores for the older apprentices and frequently being punished for not doing them to their satisfaction. However, it taught me a lot about survival and made me a stronger person.”
The new way of life was underway and now it was time to prove himself in the saddle.
“My first race ride came later then my friends’ because I was very light and it took me time to be able to control these powerful animals. Unlike today where apprentices have to go down the straight for their first few rides, my first ride as a second-year apprentice was over 1600m at Greyville on a no-hoper called Merchant trained by Steve Lapin. I finished sixth and spent the whole race trying not to interfere with anybody especially the older apprentices who I’d have to face later.
After 22 rides in six months I had achieved six places which was not great and the Jockey Club decided to send me back to Johannesburg where my family lived.”
Lloyd’s initiation in the sport of horse racing had been tough, but with the move came opportunity.
“It was the turning point for me as I rode for Brian de Villiers who gave me all of his best rides and this helped me become champion apprentice for the following three years.
I think choices are one of the most important things in racing to who you become and this was illustrated by my first decision as a fully-fledged professional. I was offered a few jobs but decided to join Ricky Maingard as second jockey to Freddie Macaskill as he had a powerful yard and I felt if I could eventually become stable jockey I would have an opportunity to ride some of the best horses in the country. This happened within six months and I became associated with the great Wolf Power, the best horse I have ever ridden. I rode him for fourteen of his seventeen wins.”
The tide had turned and it was now Lloyd’s time to make his mark.
“My riding style changed dramatically under Ricky as he made me study videos of the best jockeys in the world concentrating on the great French jockey Yves St. Martin. I preferred watching my hero Lester Piggott who is still the best balanced jockey I’ve ever seen.” said Lloyd.
Having moulded himself from the greats and having achieved so much what of the future?
“I feel South African racing is going forward with all the success our horses are having overseas and a lot more money is coming in from foreign sources. The problem is we are way behind the world in stakes and especially in our Graded races. Until this improves to international standards we will never attract the best horses here and will remain way behind. Jockeys and trainers have continually complained about the difficulty of making a good living here and I hope the money brought in from our sales these days will help solve the problem.”
“My recent achievement of passing the 4,000 winners mark left me feeling very proud and although I am now 44 I still have a few goals. I would still love to win the July, the one big race that has eluded me and I’ve recently tried to get back into Hong Kong. I’ve done a three month stint there before, riding nine winners. It is very competitive and I love the challenge.”
Continuing with a tribute to his wife and children Lloyd said, “My wife Nicola is the daughter of jockey, trainer and later stipendiary steward Aubrey Roberts, who rode Diza to victory in the 1962 July, and the granddaughter of the famous jockey Charlie Barends. Being raised in the game she thankfully understands all of its ups and downs. My three children Tayah (8), Jaden (4) and Zac (2) are the best thing that has happened in my life and I spend as much time as possible with them so am glad to not to be traveling much these days. They are too young to know if they want to follow in my footsteps but if they did I think I would become a nervous wreck watching!”
In concluding the chat, what of superstitions in racing?
“Unlike many, I don’t have any superstitions. If things aren’t going well I look at myself first and foremost and when I see other people in racing being driven mad by silly superstitions, I just don’t get it!”
Pragmatic, energetic and driven, Jeff Lloyd still has much to achieve and give to the Sport of Kings in South Africa.
*Lloyd had possibly the best season of his career the following term in 2006/2007 riding seven Grade 1 winners, including three on one day when winning the J&B Met with Pocket Power, the Fancourt Majorca Stakes with Sun Classique and the Investec Cape Derby with Jay Peg.
LLOYD PART ii): JEFF SIDELINED BY A MILD STROKE (MARCH 2013)
JEFF Lloyd, one of the finest jockeys South Africa has produced, is in ICU in Queensland Australia as a precautionary measure after suffering a mild stroke, which was fortunately diagnosed early.
Lloyd said from his hospital bed, “An MRI scan showed a split vein from which blood was leaking and this caused a clot and the stroke.”
He said that initially the doctors had not been certain whether there had been a stroke. He added that they had said it could have been a lot worse had it not been diagnosed so early.
Lloyd stopped riding experienced “a stiff neck and headaches” after racing on Thursday and visited a chiropractor. “The chiropractor was not happy and recommended I have an MRI scan,” said Lloyd.
He said that an assessment on his future in the saddle had not been made yet as the ICU doctors were at present only concerned with monitoring the problem and ensuring it did not reoccur.
Lloyd said that it was unclear what the cause had been, but added that his family had a history of strokes and heart disease, so reckoned it was hereditary.
Lloyd, who is 51 years of age, is one of two South Africans alongside Piere Strydom to have ever ridden 4000 winners and currently stands on roundabout 4500. The Durbanite moved to Sydney Australia in late 2007 with his wife Nicola and three children. In his only full season there he finished fourth in the Sydney premiership.
He then had a stint of about three years in Hong Kong, where he had ridden nine winners before in the 1993/1994 season. Lloyd finished in the top ten in Hong Kong in his only two full seasons and in total has ridden 99 winners on the Chinese island.
Last year he moved back to Australia and settled on the Gold Coast, where he is currently lying eighth in the premiership with 20 winners.
Lloyd won the Jockey’s Championship in South Africa on six occasions and rode a record 313 winners in the 1991/1992 season. He was also champion jockey in Mauritius five times. He has ridden close to 90 Grade 1 winners.
Lloyd was born in the UK, so it was a memorable moment when he rode his first UK winner in his first ever UK ride at the home of racing, Newmarket, in August 1992 on a Richard Hannon-trained horse.
Lloyd has ridden in nine countries in all, South Africa, Mauritius, England, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Macau, Singapore and Germany.
He was last seen in South Africa when riding the Mike Bass-trained Chesalon in last year’s Vodacom Durban July. Unfortunately, his July hoodoo remained and he finished third in the big race for an incredible ninth time, although he did ride a Grade 1 winner on the day when scoring on the Corné Spies-trained War Horse in the Zulu Kingdom Golden Horseshoe.
Over the weekend the South African racing fraternity was full of well wishes for the popular jockey after news of his hospitalisation spread.
The stroke was likely caused by a fall he had the day before he experienced the headaches and it might have torn an artery in the brain. After the MRI and time in ICU he was told a fifth of his brain was dead and he would never ride again but miraculously, after initially having a goal to just get fit and healthy for whatever he was going to do next, he made a comeback to the saddle 14 months after the stroke. Fittingly, it was his old guv’nor from South Africa, David Payne, who supported him in his comeback. He said he would not ride again unless he felt he could ride to his best and he was soon proving he was as good as ever.
He rode 5 winners from 9 rides at Eagle Farm on Saturday, 17 September 2016.
At the age of 54 years in 2016, he became the oldest jockey to win the Queensland Metropolitan Jockey’s Premiership.
On Wednesday, 30 November 2016, Jeff rode seven Metropolitan winners on a twelve race Corbould Park card – the first jockey to achieve the feat in Australian history.
On 14 January 2017, he rode a scintillating pillar to post win aboard the Toby Edmonds-trained Houtzen in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
On 5 April 2017 Lloyd broke the Queensland record held by Chris Munce of 103 metropolitan wins in a season and he did it four months before the season had ended. He went on to set a new mark of 137.
Having become the oldest to win the Queensland Metropolitan premiership in 2015/2016 he won it for the next three seasons too and retired after the last of his premierships in 2018/2019.
Lloyd Part iii): A LAST ATTEMPT TO BREAK THE JULY HOODOO (JULY 2018)
Jeff Lloyd hopes he has chosen the right horse in the Vodacom Durban July in which he will be aboard the Justin Snaith-trained four-year-old colt Made To Conquer.
Lloyd, a six-times South African champion jockey, has always been a particularly good rider of Greyville, where the uphill section from the 1000m mark up to the 450m long straight has found out many a lesser rider.
However, the July has always eluded him, although he has often gone close, finishing third on no fewer than nine occasions.
Made To Conquer has the pedigree to win the July.
He is by Dynasty, who won the big race in 2003 and produced the July winner of 2014, Legislate.
Dynasty’s progeny have a noticeable liking for the tight Greyville track due to their inherited ability to accelerate off the mark.
Made To Conquer is out of the Casey Tibbs mare Festive Occasion, who won the Grade 2 SA Oaks. Amomg Festive Occasion’s three Grade 1 placed efforts was a third place finish in the Woolavington 2200 over the July course and distance. Furthermore, she produced the Silvano filly Do You Remember, who won the Woolavington 2000 and followed up by finishing third in the July in 2013.
Lloyd was due to be in South Africa anyway in order to see how his son Jaden had been doing at the South African Jockeys Academy. He was given a few options for the July but plumped for Made To Conquer.
He said the bay colt had given him a good feel in the July gallops last Thursday and he was also pleased to discover the type of temperament he had.
He said, “He’s a good mover, he has a good temperament, but he’s not a horse who does more than he has to do. He is very laid back. I’ve ridden many horses who wait for the racecourse to do their best and I think he is one of them.”
Lloyd had admitted on the day of the gallops that he believed Made To Conquer would probably be at his very best in six months time. However, the veteran jockey certainly looks to have a fine chance of getting across the line first in his likely final bid to win the July.
He is due to retire soon but at the age of 56 is still at the top of his game. He broke the Queensland Metropolitan and State records for the number of winners in the 2016/2017 Australian racing season and is well clear in those championships again this season.
Made To Conquer is currently the 9/1 joint-third favourite with Betting World.
Lloyd will be hoping to make it a 95th Group 1 winner and will jump from a fair draw of 11 if the reserve runners come out.
*Jeff attained his best finishing position in the July as Made To Conquer finished a 1,25 length second to Do It Again, who went on to win it the following year too.
*The final day of his career happened about a year later in July 2019 and was described by www.punters.com.au:
Champion jockey Jeff Lloyd failed to ride a winner on the last day of his career on Saturday but was still a popular figure with the Doomben crowd.
Lloyd had seven rides on his final day in the saddle but the closest he got was second on Auerbach in the open handicap.
“I suppose that’s racing,” Lloyd said after his last ride on Granny Red Shoes who ran unplaced.
He leaves the sport with more than 5000 winners including 94 in Group One company.
Although the season finale is still two weeks away, Lloyd wrapped up his fourth metropolitan title well before Saturday.
It means he has won 19 premierships in three different countries.
The Brisbane Racing Club had a special presentation to Lloyd with jockeys forming an honour guard with his family also attending.
Punters showed their appreciation by standing three deep around the enclosure to give Lloyd a rousing three cheers.
“The coverage (his retirement) it has got has been mind-blowing. I am just incredibly thankful for all the kind words and I have enjoyed my time so much in Australia,” he said.
Lloyd’s wife Nicola paid a heart felt tribute to him.
“You have broken numerous records and done amazing things especially after a life threatening stroke at age 51,” she said.
“And continuing to be an outstanding athlete at your current age of nearly 58. However, those are all just statistics that will stand the test of time but the part I am proudest of is the mark you have left.”
Nicola, who also posted a tribute on social media, said her husband was admired by all in racing for his hard, honest work but he was also respected for his humble nature and sense of humour as well as an ability to laugh at himself.
“He was always wanting to learn and never putting himself above others,” she said.
Lloyd now devotes himself to helping his sons Jaden and Zac and others in their careers as professional jockeys through Lloyd Racing Management Services.
