Former jockey Gary Willetts remembers when he won the 1974 Cox Plate on Battle Heights with a broken hand

A heavy fall that split his head open and left him with a broken hand couldn’t stop jockey Gary Willetts from winning the 1974 Cox Plate.

Half a century has passed but former jockey Gary Willetts’ effort still ranks as one of the bravest Cox Plate performances in the history of The Valley’s great race.

Jockeys need immense upper body strength to hold 500kg animals at the right speed for two minutes, placing enormous pressure on their hands.

Riding racehorses is hard enough. Imagine having to control a Cox Plate runner with a broken left hand.

Willetts did it on Battle Heights in 1974.

Modern medical regulations would have made it almost impossible for Willetts to get away with hiding an injury and concussion requirements would have ruled him out for a definite period.

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But the falls were handled a lot differently in the 1970s.

“I had a fall at Geelong and I split my head open,” Willetts said.

“I knew that was bad but I didn’t say anything about my hand.

“An old Scottish doctor, he stitched my head up and when I got home, I said to Tim Douglas, who owned and trained him, ‘mate I think you’re going to have to get another jockey’.

“He said, ‘no, no, you’ll be right’.”

However, Willetts said the pain from his hand would not subside.

He had to call for help from a mate and fellow jockey at Flemington trackwork the next morning.

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“We went into Flemington and I couldn’t ride work,” Willetts said.

“I said to Johnny Stocker, ‘I’m in trouble. Can you get me to a doctor?’.

“He got me to Dr Jim Clancy, who was the Melbourne Racing Club doctor at the time.”

Dr Clancy, who was also a medical officer in the Australian Army, pointed out two broken bones in Willetts’ hand when he received the X-rays of the injury.

The physician gave Willetts a glimmer of hope that he could ride Battle Heights in the Cox Plate.

“He said you’ll only get one ride with it,” Willetts said.

“I said, ‘that’s all I need’.”

Willetts gave up the ride on the subsequent Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner Lord Metric to ensure he could partner Battle Heights.

Gary Willetts riding Manikato to victory at Caulfield.

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The 1974 Cox Plate was Willetts’ first ride at The Valley and he brought Battle Heights with a well-timed run to beat his mate Stocker’s mount Taras Bulba.

“It was all right when he was going straight but when he was going around the turn, it was pulling the bones apart,” Willetts said.

“I didn’t notice it in the race because the old adrenaline takes over.”

The 1974 Cox Plate was one of the main reasons Willetts decided to make a permanent move from New Zealand to Australia.

Willetts enjoyed a terrific career in Australia, filling in for the suspended Mick Dittman to win big races on future Cox Plate winners Red Anchor and Strawberry Road.

But Willetts was also part of one of Australian racing’s greatest days when he won the Moir Stakes on legendary sprinter Manikato on Cox Plate day in 1982.

Gary Willetts (centre) with Brent Thompson and Greg Childs at the William Reid Stakes meeting at Moonee Valley in 2019. Picture: Fiona Byrne

The now 81-year-old Willetts, who still attends many race meetings, will never forget riding on The Valley’s unrivalled amphitheatre in front of a heaving crowd there to see two champions chase an unprecedented $1m in stakes.

“I reckon that was one of the best days I ever rode,” Willetts said.

“Kingston Town won his third Cox Plate and we were in a race to see who could get to the million dollars in prizemoney first.

“Rancher had come on the scene and everyone thought Rancher would beat Manikato, especially after he drew (barrier) 14.

“We decided not to lead so I was sitting off about three lengths behind them and he was going to win 600m from home, he was going that easy.

“The crowd that day was incredible. Just unbelievable.”

Originally published as Former jockey Gary Willetts remembers when he won the 1974 Cox Plate on Battle Heights with a broken hand