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‘No ego, doesn’t sugar-coat anything’: Jockey Jay Ford is driven to succeed … in his own way

Jay Ford is not your quintessential sportsman. He likes to smoke and couldn’t care less about social media. Nonetheless, the jockey has carved out a successful career in the cauldron of Sydney racing.

Ray Thomas
6 min read
July 11, 2024 - 10:20AM
Star jockey Jay Ford has 11 Group 1 wins to his name … and counting. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images
Star jockey Jay Ford has 11 Group 1 wins to his name … and counting. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

Jay Ford is not your quintessential sportsman. He likes to smoke, couldn’t care less about social media and has absolutely no ego.

But the jockey has carved out a successful career in the cauldron of Sydney racing doing things his way.

Ford, 40, has been riding for more than two decades winning more than 1300 races with 11 at Group 1 level, and was the regular rider of champion Takeover Target, combining with the sprinter for 20 wins including feature race success in England, Singapore and Japan.

It’s a remarkable career record for a jockey that is just as happy riding at Queanbeyan as Royal Randwick, doesn’t seek the limelight or publicity, and probably won’t bother reading this story.

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These days we are accustomed to many elite sportsmen and women having healthy egos and a confidence bordering on arrogance in their own ability – think highly-paid American athletes – which only makes Ford seem a product of a bygone era.

Trainer Joe Pride is adamant Ford doesn’t have an ego, not outwardly anyway, and says the jockey can be his own worst critic.

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“Jay’s very honest, brutally honest at times, when it comes to assessing a horse and he’s never worried about trying to keep a ride,” Pride said.

“There’s one race that sticks in my mind with Jay and that was when he rode Shalatin to finish an unlucky second in the Golden Gift.

“Jay came back in, got off the horse and the first words he said to me were ‘that’s the last time I ride him’.

“He just calls it as it is. He doesn’t sugar-coat anything. He doesn’t have an ego but that doesn’t mean Jay doesn’t have a good opinion of himself or is not confident in his ability.”

Ford has demonstrated that confidence in recent weeks with at least a winner at each of the last four Saturday meetings – following his treble at Rosehill on June 15, he rode a week later at Flemington for the first time since the Takeover Target era and won on The Black Cloud, before riding a double at Rosehill on June 29 and a claiming winner at Randwick last week.

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The talented jockey has rides in six races at Royal Randwick on Saturday including the Pride-trained duo In Flight and Anagain, both last start winners at Rosehill.

“Everything is ticking along pretty well, I’m having a good little run at the moment,” Ford said.

“I’m getting plenty of rides, some nice chances and doing my best to make them count so it’s all positive.”

Ford enjoys riding for the Pride stable and will combine with the trainer at Randwick on Saturday with In Flight in the ASX Maurice Farhart Handicap (1100m) and Anagain, who contests the I Love 0% Cocktails Handicap (1400m).

“Joe and I have had a good working relationship for about 15 years now,” Ford said.

“There have been a few ups and downs in between but I think we have a healthy respect for one another, we work well together and I think we are on the same page.

“He’s a good bloke, he’s pretty black and white, and it just works.”

Pride then relayed another anecdote of Ford – the day the jockey lost the ride on Private Eye on the eve of the horse’s win in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap three years ago.

Ford, who is as loyal as they come and has been with the same manager, Bryan Haskins, for two decades, had been riding Private Eye that spring, winning the Group 3 Show County Quality.

But the jockey contracted Covid on Epsom Eve, Regan Bayliss got the call up and duly won the big Randwick mile on the Pride-trained gelding.

Jay Ford celebrates his victory aboard In Flight at Rosehill on June 29. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images
Jay Ford celebrates his victory aboard In Flight at Rosehill on June 29. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

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“You know, Jay never complained and he’s never asked for the ride back since,” Pride said. “But that’s Jay, he doesn’t seem to worry about those things too much.

“I guess it is both a strength and a weakness but maybe it helps him cope. All jockeys get taken off horses and maybe this helps Jay cope when he does lose a ride.

“They can’t all be the same and we don’t want them all to be the same but I appreciate Jay and that’s why where I can I try to give him rides.

“I’m not saying he suits all my horses and sometimes it is not up to me who rides my horses but where I can I am happy to use Jay.”

Ford was reminded of the story of how he lost the Epsom-winning ride on Private Eye but the jockey didn’t seem perturbed.

“That’s part of the industry, you have to be a bit thick-skinned,” Ford said.

“Things don’t always go your way and you are going to lose rides one way or another.

“Sometimes you are the recipient, other times you are on the wrong end of it.”

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This writer then asked Ford how he coped with criticism on social media and the jockey took some delight in revealing he didn’t engage in any of the various platforms.

“I’m not worried about social media criticism because I’m not on it,” Ford said.

“I have no interest in social media. I don’t look at it, I don’t have it and my life is less complicated for it.

“I realise it is part and parcel of how many people connect these days but the way things are going on social media, it is pretty toxic. But I don’t see it, I don’t read it so I couldn’t care less.”

Ford has combined with Pride to win 96 races – they struck again at the Warwick Farm midweeks with Headley Grange – and the jockey can edge closer to a century of wins for the stable when he rides In Flight and Anagain at the Randwick meeting on Saturday.

In Flight has been in outstanding form this winter, winning three of her past four starts, but has paid the price for her form surge after being allotted topweight of 60kg for the Randwick race.

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“I thought In Flight showed a bit of resilience late to win at Rosehill last start,” Ford said.

“She is learning her craft as she goes through the grades, she is in really good form and has had a terrific preparation.

“But she has to carry a bit of weight on her back which is the only downside.

“Her record speaks for itself, she is a lightly raced filly with a terrific win record, she is going great guns and hopefully she will run well again.”

Anagain was finding it hard to win until a Ford “special” got her home at Rosehill two weeks ago.

“She is never far away, albeit, she doesn’t win that often,” Ford said.

“The little things need to fall in her favour but she will run well, she always does. She just struggles to put her head in front at times but she is fit and well and will run us a good race, she always does.”

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Ford’s other Randwick rides include the Kim Waugh-trained duo of Bojangles (race 8) and Bethencourt (race 9), the Matthew Smith-trained Presser (race 7) and James Ponsonby’s Philipsburg (race 4).

As the 2023-24 season comes to an end on July 31, Ford’s recent run of good form has set him up well for the start of the new season.

Most elite sports people like to set goals for the coming season but I should have realised the subject of this story marches to the beat of his own drum.

“I don’t look too far ahead,” Ford said. “As long as I am getting some rides, getting some winners that is all that really matters to me.

“I’m pretty ‘cruisy’, I roll with the punches. I’ve been around long enough to know that some weeks can be really good and others can be quite the opposite.

“I’ve had a really good last six-eight weeks and it would be nice if that continues. We will just continue what we are doing, it is working at the moment.”

Originally published as ‘No ego, doesn’t sugar-coat anything’: Jockey Jay Ford is driven to succeed … in his own way

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/horse-racing/nsw-racing/no-ego-doesnt-sugarcoat-anything-jockey-jay-ford-is-driven-to-succeed-in-his-own-way/news-story/89a6a69857c8bdc59b8d62f829306d0c