The second coming of Corey Brown

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

For elite sportspeople, the opportunity to bow out of their careers of their own accord is an important and driven consideration. When it happens otherwise, as it did for top-tier jockey Corey Brown, it can be an emotional rollercoaster.

In the winter of 2019, with years of riding left, Brown came off Lord Arthur (Camelot {GB}) in the G1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm, and his injuries delivered two spinal surgeries and lifelong, life-affecting disability.

“Everything changed,” Brown said, speaking to TDN AusNZ this week. “I don’t wear shoes with laces anymore, and I have to get my wife to help me put a suit jacket on because of the restrictions in my back. I used to be able to bend over and touch my toes, but now I can barely get past my knees. It’s silly things, but it’s changed my whole lifestyle.”

In 2019 after his fall, Brown had every intention to rehabilitate and return to race-riding. It’s a given instinct for many jockeys. Brown was walking, therefore he could ride.

However, the medical advice heavily suggested that he not only shouldn’t ride but that he probably couldn’t, and it took some time for the jockey to be at peace with it. Nearly two years after coming off Lord Arthur, Brown announced his official retirement in May 2021.

“Big days like this weekend at Randwick, those are a bit frustrating for me now,” he said. “I’m slowly and surely getting used to being on the sidelines, but it’s quite frustrating sitting there and watching trainers that you used to ride for do really well.

“Joey Pride is one of those at the moment. He’s doing really well and it’s disheartening that I’m not on the team anymore, but of course I love to see my friends do well. It doesn’t mean, though, that it’s not sad for me to see the big races come and go.”

Letting go of the dream

On Saturday, the big races are Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick. It’s the day of the Doncaster and the Derby, one of those stout autumn racedays that Sydney delivers so well.

It holds an especial mention for Corey Brown too, given his last Group 1 victory was aboard the then Gwenda Markwell-trained Angel Of Truth (Animal Kingdom {USA}) in the G1 Australian Derby of 2019. The pair ransacked the field by 3.3l that afternoon, landing Brown the last of his 49 overall Group 1s.

“I had a good career,” he said. “I can complain that I never got to 50 Group 1s, but I look back over it and it was pretty good. A lot of young kids will look at my career and love to have half of what I’ve done, so I’m happy.

“It certainly wasn’t the exit that I wanted, though. It was frustrating because when I first broke it (his back), all reports were that I was going to be allowed back, and then it didn’t mend so I had to go through it all over again. Dealing with the disappointment of that was a pretty hard thing.”

Brown’s injuries were a shattering of the T7 and critical damage to the T4 vertebrae. Such injuries have frequented the jockeys’ room from time immemorial, and Brown was lucky he wasn’t wheelchair-bound.

“They said everything had to slow down,” he said. “There’s been so much fusion in my back that it would be so dangerous if I were to fall again, and to be honest, I don’t think I could sit in the saddle for any more than a minute these days, so at this point it’s out of the question.”

Brown endured a much-publicised and lengthy battle with Workcover to arrive at his second surgery, and the everyday pain he endured was a battle in itself. It became obvious that the jockey’s second procedure wouldn’t make a return to riding possible, but what it did do was deliver enough physical resilience for him to pursue a second career.

Father-figure that can ride

In February this year, Brown was appointed the head jockey coach for Racing NSW. It’s a fresh appointment for the Sydney former rider, but it fits like a pair of old boots.

Gallery: Some images from the 2022 apprentice training academy, images courtesy of Team Thoroughbred NSW Training Academy

Alongside the likes of Rodney Quinn, Pat Webster and Scott Thurlow, Brown mentors and coaches riding apprentices on anything from their physical position in the irons to their race tactics and mental wellness.

“I always spoke about having my own academy of sorts when I finished riding, so I can see myself doing this for a long time,” he said. “As a younger rider, I was always driving the older jockeys mad with all my questions, and now the shoe’s on the other foot. It’s been a really good fit.”

Brown was sent the Racing NSW call-out last year for a head jockey coach, and he was told to apply for it. It came up at the right time for the retired rider, just when his professional career was finished and he was doing occasional media commitments with Sky Racing.

As a pro-rider over 27 years, with 2466 wins under his belt and tenures in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore (plus rides in Ireland, England, Dubai and Mauritius), Brown was highly qualified for the role.

He had ridden top horses like Exceed And Excel, More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready {USA}) and Rangirangdoo (NZ) (Pentire {GB}). He had won Melbourne Cups on Shocking and Rekindling (GB), and he piloted Apache Cat (Lion Cavern {USA}), Melito (Redoute’s Choice) and Eremein (Timber Country {USA}).

Gallery: Some of the top horses Corey Brown has ridden, images courtesy of Sportpix

“It’s been interesting for me going from the jockeys’ room to controlling and guiding these kids,” Brown said. “I’m almost like a father-figure to them, and I’m a father and grandfather myself.

“I’m basically overseeing their careers, and we had the apprentice academy at Scone three weeks running that ended just last week. I watch how the kids are riding, correcting the little things that they’re doing wrong and offering guidance on how they can do things better.”

Part of Brown’s job is the emotional growth of rising riders, taking care of their mental health through their early journeys.

“Like any other person doing an apprenticeship, they’re wanting advice off the track too,” he said. “It’s just like overseeing them as a parent, really. A parent that can ride a horse.”

Brown relates to his new role because he was constantly asking questions of big-money riders like Malcolm Johnson and Darren Beadman.

“I’m finding that a lot of my apprentices are a bit hesitant to ask for help or advice, where I’ve always been very approachable and open,” he said. “So I’ll often find myself stepping forward and texting or calling the kids to offer my advice and suggestions.”

As such, the Racing NSW role has been a good thing for Brown. It’s early days, but he has found an excuse to be out and among his sport again, and that’s important for a man who had years left in him until the Queensland Derby of 2019.

“It’s been very rewarding because obviously I can’t get on track,” he said. “This is as close as I can get to what I used to love doing.”