Piere Strydom will make a decision in the next two weeks to either officially retire or make a comeback.

One side of him would like to come back and get the eleven more he needs to reach 5500 career winners.

He also yearns to ride in one more July.

If winning the big race one more time he will join Anton Marcus as the only jockey to have ridden five July winners.

He has also spoken of doing a riding tour of the country whilst trying to collect those eleven more wins.

However, riding again could put him at risk of losing the sight in his left eye.

He was seeing continual flashes of light in his eye early last year and was diagnosed with a semi-detached retina.

Consequently, he has not ridden for exactly a year.

He recalls the incident which probably caused it.

He was riding a horse called Oceania for Dianne Stenger on November 19, 2020, at the Vaal and the stipendiary report says it all, “OCEANIA (P Strydom) fly jumped leaving the stalls, landing awkwardly, throwing her head back and making contact with Jockey P Strydom’s face. This resulted in Jockey P Strydom becoming incapacitated and as a consequence, he was unable to assist this mare in running. This incident was corroborated by the Patrol film. Jockey P Strydom was attended to by both the paramedics and the Course Medical Officer following this race.”

Piere said the starter had told him it sounded like a gunshot going off such was the force with which the two heads collided.

If the retina becomes fully detached the eyesight is lost.

Strydom was advised to avoid any form of risky excercise since being diagnosed. 

The eye has now healed and he was able to play golf for the first time in a year today. 

However, he said there is a lot of scar tissue so the risk of detachment is still there.

A fall from a horse would put it at especial risk.

His last appointment with the opthalmologist is in two weeks time and he said the diagnosis might change, although it would not necessarily be a change for the better.

He is thus stuck in a “catch-twenty-two position” … there is the urge to complete the last hurdle in an illustrious career but also the knowledge that by doing so he risks becoming disabled.

He said, “I am sitting on the fence.”

However, a bookmaker listening into the interview would probably price up retirement as the favourite because Piere said he had not been missing riding at all.

He said, “We now have weekends. My wife is a conveyancing attorney and after she is finished on Friday the weekend starts. Weekends used to be non-existent but we can now plan for them.”

He continued, “I went to the Turffontein meeting on Saturday and for the staying race they went past the stands and I looked on and did not think to myself ‘I need to be back on a horse’. If it happens it happens and if not …”

However, he said the feeling he experienced might just have been due to a particular personality trait he has always had.

He explained, “I have never been one to count my chickens before they hatch. I never get happy before it happens so am able to take disappointment in my stride.” 

He of course would not have become the champion he is without a high degree of determination and resolve, so there are some who will be backing him to be back in the saddle soon.

He said his decision to come back or not would be made almost immediately after his next appointment with the opthalmologist.  

If he does opt for a comeback he said he he would be looking for a ride in the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

He has not watched a lot of racing during his forced sabbatical but does watch the big races.

Asked on his analysis of the current riders, he said, “Calvin Habib has improved a lot. Richard Fourie has always been very talented and is enjoying a fine run, he is probably the top jockey at the moment.”

He continued, “My nephew Kyle has been doing well, it is just a pity he has the weight issue. He is doing better than I was at the same stage.”

He was asked to comment on one of the stories of the season, the current leading apprentice Rachel Venniker, and he replied, “She has fine balance and sometimes there are riders who always have horses on the right leg without thinking about it, it just automatic. She has that so she seems to be a natural. She is still a bit loose on a horse, but we all were at that stage of our careers.”  

“Striker” fans will be waiting with bated breath for his decision and will be hoping to see the legend back in the saddle for one more spell.  

Picture: Hollywoodbets