Luke Nolen says racing is brutal while Damien Oliver says the industry needs to be “careful” with so much racing

Champion jockey Damien Oliver has urged the racing industry to be “careful” balancing day and night racing to safeguard participants from burnout while fellow top hoop Luke Nolen has labelled it “brutal”.

After more than three decades in the saddle, 122-time Group 1 winner Oliver has adopted his own methods to avoid the physical and mental toll of a hectic schedule.

“You have to learn to manage your schedule,” Oliver said. “We have to be careful of the day and night racing, and also having to work in the mornings as well.

“You’ve got to balance it because it can become quite relentless and we’ve got to be careful as an industry from that perspective.”

Jockey Damien Oliver says the racing industry “needs to be careful”. Picture: AAP Image/Michael DodgeSource:AAP

Oliver only rode on Saturdays during the festive period and the 11-time Scobie Breasley medallist opts for short sabbaticals outside of carnivals to recharge rather than long breaks.

While Oliver can pick and choose a bit, having forged an unparalleled career in the saddle, the same cannot be said for apprentices and riding journeyman.

They spend hours driving to and from stables and racecourses scattered across the country.

Boom Swan Hill-based apprentice Madison Lloyd has 80,000km on her Mitsubishi ASX, bought new 18 months ago, while the Subaru WRX fellow apprentice Will Price purchased last year already has 40,000 clicks on the clock.

“Depending on where the meetings are you try and work it out so you’re not on the road as much,” Ballarat-based Price said. “If you can ride work in town, or closer to where you’re riding on the day, it’s usually a good way to spread yourself out.

“It is hard, we’ve got really long days, you’re up at 4.30am and got a full day, even if you’ve had a bad day, they’re still always a long day.”

Price, 20, currently fifth in the metropolitan premiership, is meticulous about his preparation to avoid burn out.

Jockeys Damien Oliver, Will Price and Craig Williams share a laugh with former AFL coach turned trainer Denis Pagan. Picture: George SalpigtidisSource:Supplied

“You’ve got to make sure you rest your body and are fuelling it with the right food,” Price said. “Once you need a break you’ve got to make sure you do get those breaks, because it definitely takes its toll and being on the road so much, when you‘re fatigued it can obviously be very dangerous.”

Nash Rawiller and Luke Nolen agreed the biggest issue for riders is the growing number of late finishes with the desire for more night racing.

“We are a different animal in Victoria entirely because we have two night meetings a week as well as early starts,” Nolen said. “I think that is the thing (night meeting) that probably needs to be revisited, more so than early starts to trackwork.

“I understand they are trying to get people interested through twilight and night meetings, but with travel on top of that, coupled with early starts, it’s brutal.

“It wears away on everything, especially family time, it‘s not good burning the candle at both ends.”

Rawiller said on a personal level, he’s managing his own activities well, but feels for those forced to ride at more meetings as they try and make their name.

“I’m not the bloke going to a Wangaratta meeting on a Monday and then back up and ride Tuesday and Wednesday. There are plenty of jockeys who are doing that though,” Rawiller said. “I’ve been there and done it in my 20s and 30s, it takes a lot out of you.

“If anything, I am a little bit against Friday night meetings.

Nash Rawiller at Randwick trackwork with trainer Anthony Cummings. Photo: Mark Evans/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

“I know they are great for the punter but it’s not great for the participants because it might be a Friday at Moonee Valley or Canterbury and then you are setting yourself for the big day on Saturday.”

Rawiller noted the accepted hours that workers in racing are required to do shrinks the potential pool of talent available.

“The hours racing works makes it harder to get new people into the industry,” he said.

“The people already in racing are a dedicated breed, they roll with the punches as they have a real passion for the horse. They just deal with what they are given.

“When you are trying to get other people in who haven‘t got that same love it’s difficult.”

Originally published asJockeys reveal ‘brutal’ truth about racing’s hectic schedule

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