Spring racing carnival: Glen Boss changes his lifestyle in pursuit of more Group 1 glory
Glen Boss has been looking down from the summit of Australian racing for nearly three decades now. But instead of easing up, the 51-year-old is working harder than ever to stay at the top of his game.
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For Glen Boss, the self-imposed booze ban and tortuous training sessions are all about being better than before.
The champion jockey recognises it’s not easy getting to the top in this sport, but it’s even harder staying there.
But Boss, who turned 51 last Friday, has been looking down from the summit of Australian racing for nearly three decades now. He likes the view and wants to stay there. It’s why he has given up alcohol and adopted a workout routine that would test the fittest of athletes.
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Boss isn’t going through a midlife crisis. It’s almost like he is reinventing himself to ensure he remains as competitive as ever against the wave of younger riders coming through the ranks.
“Some people might say I’m making sacrifices by not having a drink but I don’t look at it that way, it’s a lifestyle choice I’ve made,’’ Boss said. “When I look back on my life and ask myself if I made any rational decisions when I’ve been drinking, the answer would be no.
“If you cut that out of your life, things become clearer. You make better choices and better decisions, so hopefully that comes out in my riding.
“Giving up alcohol is not even a sacrifice, it’s a given for me now.’’
Boss adopted the booze ban more than a year ago and it coincided with a bonanza 2019-20 season where he rode the winners of Sydney’s two richest races, The TAB Everest on Yes Yes Yes and Golden Eagle on Kolding, plus Group 1 wins in the Epsom Handicap (Kolding), Sydney Cup (Etah James), ATC Australian Oaks (Colette) and Newmarket Handicap (Bivouac).
The Hall of Fame jockey has now netted a career total of 86 Group 1 wins — and counting. He is equal eighth on the all-time list for major races wins and retains his thirst for success.
“Last season was great for me and I still know if you ask me to do the job I can get it done,’’ Boss said.
“What drives me the most is that feeling of winning the big races and what inspires me is to make the next season better than the last.
“I have competed at the high level for most of my career so I know what I need to do to be successful. These days, it’s more about proving to myself that I can do it.
“If you tell me I can’t do something I’ll say why can’t I? I’ve always been like that.’’
Boss is leaving no stone unturned to prepare himself for another spring carnival and spoke to The Sunday Telegraph after completing another tough session under the watchful eye of renowned personal trainer Trent Langlands.
The jockey’s workouts are a combination of core and upper body strength work, balance and co-ordination, and stamina-sapping exercises.
“I feel great, I’ve never been fitter in my life,’’ Boss said.
“I’m having a red-hot go in the gym and I really enjoy those sessions, to be honest.
“The harder Trent works me, the more I want to keep going. I don’t quit, I like to push myself and see how far I can go.’’
Reactive work with .@boss_glen pic.twitter.com/R1iaoIBk4A
— trent langlands (@trentlanglands) August 7, 2020
Spring can’t come quick enough .@boss_glen 🥊🔥🇠pic.twitter.com/9snb9mzz23
— trent langlands (@trentlanglands) August 14, 2020
Langlands described Boss’s work ethic as “extraordinary”.
“The harder the session, the better Glen performs,’’ Langlands said. “The longer the session goes, the better he gets.’’
Boss’s spring preparations have been months in the planning. He’s also spent the winter studying the form of potential carnival contenders as few are better than him at identifying emerging equine talent.
His potential big-race rides this spring include Kolding, Colette and he’s in the mix for glamour colt Farnan if the three-year-old is aimed at the $15 million The TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 17.
But Boss admits this will be a spring carnival like none he has ridden previously. The coronavirus pandemic has changed racing – and the world – this year and most of Sydney’s top jockeys may not get the chance to ride in Melbourne later this year.
“Unless things change, most of the boys are thinking we will be riding in Sydney through the spring,’’ Boss said. “But no one is complaining, these are tough times for everyone, and at least racing has been able to keep going through all of this.
“In Sydney now, we have so much big-race prizemoney going through to Derby Day and beyond with races like the Golden Gift, The Hunter and The Gong so I’m looking forward to the next few months. Bring it on.’’
Boss wasn’t about to pour any petrol on the flames of debate around the Sydney-Melbourne spring carnival clashes, either, believing it is the evolution of Australian racing.
“These carnival clashes are not going to go away so it’s a matter of coexisting,’’ Boss said.
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“From what I understand, the betting on The Everest-Caulfield Cup Day last year was up everywhere. The public was watching the racing, there was a lot of interest, and that has to be good for the sport.
“As jockeys, we have to make decisions when horses clash in races and between cities all the time. It’s the norm anyway but it’s magnified in spring because of the size of the event.’’
Boss said the huge prizemoney on offer this spring carnival is indicative of the robust nature of Australian racing.
“There is a lot of confidence in our racing industry around the world and not only that, there is a lot of confidence in our breeding industry, too,’’ Boss said. “Australian racing is in a very good place.’’
Originally published as Spring racing carnival: Glen Boss changes his lifestyle in pursuit of more Group 1 glory