Forgotten Melbourne Cup-winning jockey back in the saddle

A Melbourne Cup-winning jockey is edging closer to a comeback to the races.

Michael Rodd returns on Efficient after winning the 2007 Melbourne Cup.

By BEN DORRIES and TRENTON AKERS

Melbourne Cup winner Michael Rodd is back in the saddle.

The Group 1 winner has been on the sidelines for more than two years following numerous health battles, but has recently made a low-key return to riding at Deagon, where he has been doing light trackwork.

It is understood Rodd wants to slowly ramp up his workload, before making a return to the races later this year.

Rodd’s last race ride was on May 16, 2021.

He won the 2007 Melbourne Cup on Efficient for trainer Graeme Rogerson and owner Lloyd Williams.

Melbourne Cup winner Michael Rodd. Picture: AAP.

HARNESS UPHEAVAL

We can reveal the date that Brisbane’s Albion Park racing venue is set be resumed by the State Government to prepare for the 2032 Olympics.

That date is February 1, 2025.

And, as forecast in this column in July, it is set to create a giant headache and major upheaval for harness racing in Queensland.

The new take-back date – much earlier than when it was originally set for resumption at the back end of 2026 – will create a nasty gap for harness racing without the premier Albion Park track.

It won’t be until 9-12 months after that date that the new Queensland Harness Centre at Norwell will be up and running.

So harness racing in the Sunshine State will have to survive at just Redcliffe and Marburg tracks for that gap time, potentially leading to a nosedive in wagering turnover.

It presents a major challenge for the state’s harness industry and it will surely have new Albion Park Harness Racing Club heavyweight Ken Rutherford scratching his head.

Rutherford, the widely respected and popular former New Zealand cricket captain, will kick off as chief operating officer early next month.

BEST WISHES

Our thoughts are with Rockhampton trainer and respected horseman John Poots who has been in a Brisbane hospital since last month with serious and multiple brain injuries.

What happened to Poots remains a mystery as nobody was witness to the accident.

He had been riding a horse when wife Louise discovered him, slumped on the ground with his hand raised.

“I saw the riderless horse with the reins over its neck alongside our retirees (horses) in a yard,” Louise said.

“When I got to John, I knew something terrible had happened.

“He was conscious and incoherent and in a bad way. I whispered to him what year is it, and he said 1997.

“I knew then how serious it was.”

John Poots has a long recovery road ahead and the racing industry is right behind him.

Being a trainer, John Poots isn’t eligible for WorkCover assistance, and with no other income John and his wife Louise now face significant challenges.

You can donate funds to help out John and Louise Poots through the website link https://www.qrisp.info/

Originally published as Forgotten Melbourne Cup-winning jockey back in the saddle