Jeff Lloyd is one of the top riders ever produced in South Africa. He was crowned SA Champion Jockey on 6 occasions, riding a record 313 winners for the 1991/1992 season. He has ridden all around the world, enjoying success in England, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Macau, Singapore and Germany, as well as being named Mauritian Champion Jockey five times. His career tally stands at a little over 4500 wins with 93 of those at Grade 1 level.
Lloyd and his family emigrated to Australia in late 2007, spent three years in Hong Kong and then returned to Australia, settling on the Gold Coast in 2012.
Racing fans were shocked early last year, when the news broke that Lloyd had suffered a stroke. After collapsing, Jeff Lloyd was stood down from racing on Thursday, 14 March 2013. He suffered a stiff neck and headaches and sought chiropractic help. His chiropractor recommended an MRI scan, which revealed that a burst vein had caused a blood clot and a minor stroke. Although the cause was unclear, Lloyd said that there was a history of strokes and heart disease and that it might be hereditary.
He had suffered a stroke, but early detection meant that he escaped severe paralysis although it did temporarily affect movement on his left side. “It has got better with treatment. It motivated me, I’ve been doing a lot of swimming, a lot of gym work, which I have never done in the past.”
But at 52, resuming his riding career seemed unlikely. “Everyone feels a stroke is a stroke and you don’t expect to really come out of it and think about riding again. At my age I expected to drop off and get really unfit because they told me I couldn’t ride for a year. I thought it was gone and I wasn’t ready to let it go,” Lloyd said. “I thought `there’s got to be more’.”
There was. The hard work enabled him to start track work again on 5 March 2014. He jokingly said he couldn’t walk for two days after his first day back in the saddle, but was soon feeling more comfortable. “After the second morning I was fine. When I started riding work and trials, I said to myself I’ll know I feel OK, I did feel well enough to give it a bash. I just got David (Payne) to have a look at me and make sure I looked all right. I felt like everything was still there, it was just a matter of whether I got the chances.”
He passed with flying colours and just 13 months after the stroke, Jeff was back. He scored what will no doubt rank among the highlights of his career, winning at only his third start aboard the David Payne trained Paederos at Canterbury on Wednesday 22 April 2014. Jeff commented afterwards “It has been a long road where I have pushed myself to get to where I am, I am just happy to have a winner.” Friend and compatriot David Payne was full of praise saying “He’s a wonderful rider and one of the hardest working I’ve met. It’s great to have him back.”
After seven winners in his first month back, it was quite clear that Lloyd’s still got it.
Saturday, 31 May saw him engaged for the 2400m Gr1 Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm aboard David Hayes-trained Star Fashion. On his jockey choice Hayes said it was an easy call to make. “He is a world class rider and every time I look up when I’m sitting in my lounge room I see J Lloyd ride a winner. I reckon he has come back fresher and hungrier and is really appreciating and enjoying his riding more than he ever has from an outsider looking in.” Star Fashion finished 3.7 lengths off in sixth place.
52 year old Lloyd always been determined to finish his career on his terms, but it seems that’s not something he’ll have to worry about for a long time to come.
