Champion Brisbane jockey Jeff Lloyd was meant to be retired by now but those plans have been put on hold and he could ride on to the end of the season.
For a bloke who said months ago that he was about to pull up stumps on a grand career, it would be something of a surprise to many to see him leading the Brisbane jockeys’ title.
Jeff Lloyd (photo: Twitter)
But 57 year old former South African Lloyd is a three-time Brisbane premiership winner who has won a total of 17 jockey premierships in his career which started in South Africa and has included stints in Hong Kong, Mauritius and Sydney.
So what happened to his plan to retire and why has it been put on hold?
Well, his teenage son Jaden is keen to become a jockey and Lloyd Senior was going to call quits on his own career to become a mentor for his son.
But Lloyd says those plans are coming along slower than expected, with Jaden breaking his wrist before attempting to become an apprentice in Victoria.
Jaden is still hoping to be accepted as a Victorian apprentice, and Lloyd’s younger son Zac also wants to be a jockey.
But Lloyd now says there is “no set date” for his own retirement from the saddle and says he “will ride a little longer” and possibly through next year’s Brisbane winter carnival and until the end of the season.
“I was originally going to retire to help Jaden and get him ready but he broke his wrist,” Lloyd said.
“He should find out whether he has been accepted (as a Victorian apprentice) in December but it might be longer than that.
“We will work it out from there and depending on how things go I could fly in and fly out (to Melbourne) to help him for a while and I’ll keep riding.
“I’m just going to keep enjoying riding as much as I can.”
Lloyd still rides a lot for Gold Coast-based trainer Toby Edmonds although former Melbourne hoop Maloney now also commands rides for the Edmonds’ stable.
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