McMahon back with a bang at Mount Isa

By Jordan Gerrans

Jockey Ric McMahon still has the burning desire to return to riding in Brisbane as his comeback hit a high point on Monday at Mount Isa.

The heavy-weight hoop has been back race riding for just over a month and had a day out on his new home track, booting home four of five winners on the non-TAB program.

The 32-year-old has had a chequered history in the saddle and is on the way back after around 18 months on the sidelines.

The former top Brisbane-based hoop moved to Mount Isa through a family connection with his partner and declares he has his life on the straight and narrow, working as a butcher during the week, as well as riding work in the morning and race riding on the weekend.

He recently became a father and has not ruled out a metropolitan return in the coming years.

“I would possibly look to get back to Brisbane, probably not this year or the next, but maybe after that,” McMahon said.

“It still does interest me to get back to Brisbane, but it is just my weight that worries me.

“There is no use me being in Brisbane riding 59kgs, you need to be down near the minimum to make it worth it.

“Being from Brisbane, I love it, but being out here serves the purpose.”

In the one race McMahon did not win on Monday, he finished third on a $2 favourite – which would have completed a perfect day if he could have got Sizzling Touch home in the 1200-metre Class B Handicap.

“It was a good day and I had good rides, you cannot ride winners without them,” he said.

“They all went well; it is good competitive racing out here.

“I am in no hurry; I am enjoying myself out here, I have a good job Monday to Friday, and I am getting good rides on a Saturday.”

One of McMahon’s four winners on Monday was the Jay Morris-trained Tango Rain, who took out the 1000-metre Open Plate in dominant fashion, six-and-a-half lengths too strong at the quote of $1.20.

Tango Rain - a winner of 11 from 40 starts - may become a TAB Battle of the Bush Series contender later this year McMahon thinks, and that might just be his ticket back to town for one weekend at least.

“It would be good to get back for a ride or two,” he said.

McMahon lauded the efforts of Cleveland Bay Handicap winning trainer Morris, who he labelled one of his closest mates that has helped him get back to riding at a high level in the west of Queensland.

While he only has a small team of horses these days, the comeback hoop says Morris is as good a trainer as he has worked for over the years.

Weight has long been a concern for McMahon as a hoop, and rode at 59kgs on Monday - the lightest he has been in some time.

With the way racing is around Mount Isa, most of the better opportunities are around that range and he can get away with riding at that weight.

The Group 3 winner noted it was tough to get his weight down at the moment, only race riding once a week in the west, but says it is gradually coming down.

Working as a butcher as well as being a father for 16 months has given McMahon balance in his life, he believes.

“It has been good getting back into it, I have had a few setbacks and it was a long time to think about it all,” McMahon said.

“It did not take very long; I was only riding work for around five weeks before the first race meeting came along.

“My fitness is coming along; it is good to be back in and among it.

“I am pretty settled with the family and trying to build together.”

A leading jockey in Brisbane for a decade, McMahon has 269 metropolitan winners to his name earlier in his career.

McMahon was not the only jockey to ride four winners at a non-TAB meeting over the last week as apprentice Alisha Ross did the same at Barcaldine on Saturday.