October
NovemberTop rider, bloke
We all are aware of what a brilliant rider Steven Arnold is. His record of 20 Group 1 wins as well as countless other feature races speaks for itself. By all reports he’s held in the highest regard by everyone in the racing industry. But for mine it wasn’t so much his usual faultless rides that shone through this spring, it was the manner in which a man with an enormous amount of pressure resting on his shoulders handled the occasion with nothing but the utmost humility and class.
During his countless interviews during the spring due to his association with So You Think, Arnold put nothing but praise on the horse, citing that basically it was nothing to do with him he was just the pilot and always acknowledging how grateful he was to be associated with such a magnificent animal.
One would be forgiven, especially a jockey who has had to endure a lifelong battle with weight, for taking this opportunity to self-indulge in this moment in the sun, but that doesn’t seem to be Arnold’s style. He prefers to let his riding do the talking and continue to heap praise on the horse.
After winning the Mackinnon Stakes in what must be considered the horse’s most devastating of wins, Arnold coming back to scale immediately took the attention away from himself. Instead of waving his whip, standing in the irons and waving to the crowd he simply gestured to the horse as if to say, "It’s all him."
Watching Arnold come back to scale after running third in the cup was another highlight. He was the last horse to be led back in, away from the hype of the winner, and the jockey spent the entire time patting the horse on the neck, looking still so proud of him.
When reporters continually asked him about his tough journey and recent spring heartaches, Arnold continued to downplay them with: "That’s racing."
Steven Arnold is now recognised as one of our greatest ever riders, but what shone through this spring was that he is one of racing’s truly great blokes.
Mayne (Qld)