Former jockey turns to mentoring old rivals

By Andrew Smith

Being fit and at the optimal weight is crucial to success for any jockey, but being on top of your game mentally provides that extra edge in the tough racing environment.

Conquering both of those aspects is the core aim of a new business set up by former hoop Brodie Loy.

The 27-year-old has previously been open about the physical and mental effects that the battle to maintain his riding weight had on him.

Having retired from racing earlier in 2024, Loy wanted to put his years of experience and expertise in the saddle to good use and help hoops in avoiding the same struggles he faced.

That’s how Elite Jockey Services was born, providing personal training and fitness, diet and nutrition tips, advice over race form and tactics, and striking a healthy work/life balance.

Loy has engaged the help of professional boxer Conor Wallace, with jockeys put through their paces at the Fortitude Valley Boxing Gym in Bowen Hills.

Having ridden competitively for 12 years, Loy has tailored the physical aspects of the gym training to mirror real-life experiences in the saddle.

“We try and develop little situations where it could transfer to riding, whether that’s stability through your core, trying little weights to manage the whipping style and just everything to work on core balance and strength,” Loy said.

“To just transition that into riding, a lot goes into it, especially now -  jockeys are riding five/six times a week, it’s very gruelling on the body.

“So if they can develop strength in those areas to get that longer-lasting longevity through their body, they can ride all year long instead of say three or four months and they need a month off.”

Rising star Tahlia Fenlon and Group 1-winning jockey Sam Collett have joined fellow hoops Jai Williams, Jag Guthmann-Chester, Alisha Donald, Shaina Willis and Jake Molloy in signing up for the program.

Loy’s partner and apprentice jockey Claire Ramsbotham is also part of the Elite Jockey Services family.

Away from the physical health and wellbeing, Loy will often go through race form and plans with jockeys before meetings, and review their performances with them post-race.

Having that second opinion is something that the Group 2-winning jockey believes is crucial to the development of young riders.

“Beforehand they ring me on the way to the races and they talk about a plan, and execute that plan to their best of their abilities,” Loy said.

“We then talk about after if it didn’t eventuate - we try and keep it as confident as possible because there’s nothing worse than getting in the car after a bad day and kicking yourself.

“And then then there’s also having a good day and having someone there to support that good day and be there say ‘well done.’

“It’s a very mental process - I don’t know how many times a few jockeys have got out and been upset with their day and just after finishing the conversation, they feel like it actually wasn’t that bad and move on.”

Retired jockeys mentoring current hoops is nothing new, with Loy taking inspiration from Group-1 winning rider James Winks’ transition into his own coaching business.

Former champion hoop Robbie Fradd has also enjoyed success, mentoring young guns Angela Jones and Kyle Wilson-Taylor through his role at Racing Queensland.

But having retired when arguably still yet to hit his peak in his late-20s, Loy believes his youth can help him relate more closely with the current crop of riders.

“I think I’m in a really lucky situation where most jockeys retire say when they’re 50/60 and by then, the game has probably just started to change in different directions,” Loy said.

“I’m still quite young in the game, and the styles are pretty similar now than what they were 20 years ago, so I think I’m very lucky with that side of it to be still in the now rather than trying to be an apprentice coach when I’m 60.

“I’m very lucky that I have got a good support base around me, and I learn a lot from (former AFL player) Dean Solomon…he’s a great coach and helps me from the coaching and mentoring side of things so very lucky I’ve got him in my corner.”

One jockey who is benefiting from the extra training is Jag Guthmann-Chester.

Along with training at the boxing gym, Guthmann-Chester and fellow hoop Williams are joined by Loy for beach runs on the Gold Coast.

The 26-year-old is thriving on the competitiveness that comes with training in a group environment.

“I do a lot of training on the side myself, but I think it’s good to have Brodie there just to encourage me to do a few extra sessions,” Guthmann-Chester said.

“Obviously he’s been a jockey, he understands the weight and stuff so when you’ve got a big day coming up race wise or if you’ve got a bit of weight to lose or you’re riding light, he knows when to manage that.

“He knows when to not push too hard as well, but the main thing is he knows when we need a hard session, he puts us to work.

“I think you get a little bit more out of it when you’re training in a group - we’re obviously all competitive so we get in here, we all go pretty hard.”

The extra training is paying off for Guthmann-Chester who enjoyed the most successful season in the saddle of his career last year.

The jockey finished with 84 victories for the 2023/24 racing year, 46 of them coming on the provincial scene where he finished inside the top 10 in the premiership.

Originally setting a goal of 70 wins for the year, he credits Loy’s mentoring with helping him go above and beyond the mark.

“I feel like I needed someone in my corner just to encourage me and push me along a little bit, just to want to do better,” Guthmann-Chester said.

“I’ve always been someone who is happy where I am and very happy to be where I am without pushing, but I just felt like I needed him to get in my corner and set some goals.

“We have a goal each race day how we think we’re going to ride the horses and do the form and how we think we’re going to let the race play out.

“I think it’s really good just to have a second opinion and sometimes you can be a bit blasé about what you’ve done wrong but it’s good to have someone say, ‘I think you’ve done this wrong,’ and what you can improve on going into the races next time.

“I think since joining Brodie I’ve really turned a corner into being a bit more dedicated and probably really, even though it’s not a lot, and doesn’t need to be hands on - it’s little things that can help you want to do better.”

Guthmann-Chester burst on to the scene as a teenager when he won the Metropolitan Apprentice Jockey’s Premiership in 2017/18.

By his own admission, he has not worked as hard as he could have since then to reach his full potential.

A poll conducted by RQ earlier this year saw Guthmann-Chester being labelled the most underrated jockey in the Sunshine State, with leading Brisbane hoop Ryan Maloney and top jockey-turned-trainer Peter Robl amongst his backers.

That endorsement has spurred Guthmann-Chester to push himself to pick up more rides in the city for the 2024/25 year.

He has set himself the goal of finishing inside the top 10 riders at the metropolitan level.

“I always had faith in myself that I had the ability to be in town but I was probably my own worst enemy,” Guthmann-Chester said.

“Even though I was at the provincials I was happy there and never really strived to want to be in town - obviously I’ve been in town as an apprentice and won the premiership and then through my own doing, I ended up back at the provincials.

“I probably didn’t strive hard enough to want to be better and I took every day as it comes, and I would say I was very laidback and casual.

“Hearing that (about being the most underrated jockey) and having these goals with Brodie to push me -  I think it’s just shown in the last six months that we can be there but we’ve just got to put ourselves in a position and take every opportunity that we can.

“This season, we’ve been in town every Saturday with a good book of rides so it just goes to show when we’re doing the little one percenters and setting our goals we can achieve them.”