Ric McMahon took drug for weight loss but vows not to lapse again

RIC McMahon could cope with the embarrassment but it was the disappointment on his parent’s faces that was the hardest thing to take.

Doomben Races

RIC McMahon could cope with the embarrassment but it was the disappointment on his parent’s faces that was the hardest thing to take.

McMahon’s six-month ban for testing positive to methamphetamines (ice) expires next Thursday and the 27-year-old is keen to move on and get his career back on track.

The gifted jockey revealed he took the deadly drug “a handful of times” in a bid to shed the kilos and admits the whole saga has been a massive wake up call.

“I had it a few times and it’s like a Duromine and it affects your appetite,” he said.

“I was never a heavy user by any stretch and the amounts I took were very minimal and I probably had it a handful of times over say six months.

“For myself it has been a big learning curve and I won’t be lapsing again.”

Dealing with the embarrassment of his mistake was one thing but McMahon said the feeling of letting his family down was the hardest part.

“I can cop it on the chin but I didn’t want to bring my family down at all,” the Brisbane jockey said.

“Mum and Dad are great and were really understanding but you can tell they were disappointed. “My dad (former Brisbane Norths rugby league winger Shane “Cocky” McMahon) just loves to see me ride and doing well.”

McMahon yesterday began the process of reapplying for his jockey licence at Racing Queensland’s headquarters at Deagon.

At his best, McMahon is one of the best riders in the state but at times his attitude lets him down.

The one constant criticism of McMahon is he is lazy and he admits it’s something he has to work on.

“I go through patches,” he said.

“If I’m not getting good rides I can spit the dummy a bit and think why bother? It’s the wrong attitude to have and I’ve got to get on top of that.”

At the same time, McMahon feels it’s hard to shake that lazy tag in Queensland and that’s why he is keen to explore his options interstate if the opportunities present this year.

“I’ve had that tag since I was an apprentice and it’s hard to shake,” he said.

“People will keep saying how lazy I am and I agree I am with my weight sometimes but I couldn’t name two to three jockeys in the top 10 that would be at the track more than me and I’m there to jump out heat 19.

“It’s a very clicky joint up here ... and I would love to move to Melbourne at some stage.

“The initial aim is to get back and ride winners consistently and get the weight down but eventually I would like to broaden my horizons.”

McMahon spent three months renovating a house during his suspension and is hoping to be back race riding within the next month.

“I haven’t ridden a horse since I’ve been off and it will take me 2-3 weeks (riding trackwork) to get up and going again,” he said.

“I hopped on the scales the other day and I was 60.8kg and the first few kilos should fly off me pretty quick.”

Originally published as Ric McMahon took drug for weight loss but vows not to lapse again