By Jordan Gerrans
It was not long ago that jockey Wayne O'Connell was wondering where he was going to sleep at night.
At that point in the Group-level winning rider's life, he would have never dreamed of getting back in the winner’s enclosure on race day.
The 50-year-old stepped away from the racing industry in the early stages of the 2020-21 season when, in his own words, O'Connell’s life fell apart.
The Kiwi native won Group races as a hoop back at home before moving to Australia where he rode for many years in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.
Back in the 2020-21 period, O'Connell was battling with a substance abuse addiction which eventually led to him being homeless for around two months.
“I went through a hard time,” O'Connell said on Wednesday morning not long after he finished riding work at Oakey on the Darling Downs.
“I lost everything really because of it all, my life fell away. But, I have been through counselling and Narcotics Anonymous, I put myself through that off my own bat.
“I have cleaned my life up and life has turned around from there.
“Once I did all that and sorted my life out – I wanted to come back to riding. I have not looked back from there, really.”