Young jockey Bailey Wheeler has turned his life around since moving to Queensland
Bailey Wheeler, who quit school and moved out of home at 14, is getting his life back on track riding in Queensland.
Bailey Wheeler is the young gun of Queensland racing, but the one-time wild child admits it could have all gone pear-shaped less than six months ago before a move to the Sunshine State got him back on track.
Recently turning 18, a raw and honest Wheeler has opened up on his brief, but remarkable racing journey, which saw him quit school and move out of home at the age of 14 to start working for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees.
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Mature beyond his years, Wheeler is the first to admit he was heading down a dangerous path before some self reflection inspired him to kickstart his career for Eagle Farm trainer Chris Anderson.
Wheeler has grabbed his Queensland opportunity with both hands, recently booting home eight winners in 48 hours across the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.
“I wasn’t really a schoolboy, I left there as soon as a I could in high school,” Wheeler said.
“I grew up in Grafton, then moved to Murwillumbah when the old man got a job for Matthew Dunn – that’s where I started riding some ex-racehorses.
“Then dad got offered a good job for Kris Lees, I was 13 or 14 at the time, so I couldn’t get a licence, but I left school and started working around the stables there in Newcastle.
“I was working around the stables and as soon as I was old enough, Kris asked me if I wanted to ride work.
“Eight months in, I rode my first trial for Kris, then I rode about 40 of them and Kris said I needed to go to the races, I was 16 at the time.”
After booting home 65 winners around the country circuit, Wheeler admits the occasion began to get the best of him.
“I moved out of home when I was 14, so when I started riding, it obviously all got a bit too much,” he said.
“It is a massive stable and a massive environment at Kris’, things were happening so quickly.”
Taking some time off towards the end of 2022, Wheeler forced himself to make some tough decisions, before the lure of Queensland came up.
“I had three months off, there was a month where I sat down and had a good think about whether I really want it or not?” he said.
“I was there thinking, ‘do I want to be something or do I want to be an idiot?’
“I had been waiting to be a jockey, I had wanted to do it since I was eight-years-old, and here was an opportunity to do it and I wanted to take it because I was only going to stuff things up otherwise.
Apprentice Jockey Bailey Wheeler completed an impressive treble on Saturday. Which bumped the young hoop into first place on the apprentice premiership leader board.â
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“I went back training and got fit again, I started trackwork on the Monday (earlier this year) for Chris (Anderson), then not long after I was riding on a Friday night at the Sunshine Coast.
“I’m 18 now, a bit more mature mentally, I am enjoying myself now and taking things in my stride.
“I knew I was either going to stuff it up or do what I’m doing now, so it didn’t take long to think about but it would have been so easy to go the opposite way.”
Wheeler said he will likely resist the temptation to become a metropolitan apprentice anytime soon, with the young gun keen to hone his skills on the provincial circuit before making the trip into town.
Anderson is keen to nurture the rising star, but said his progression over the coming years will be dependent on his dedication.
“Since arriving he has worked really, really hard and has shown terrific commitment,” Anderson said.
“As long as that commitment continues, he can go as far as he wants in this industry, that future is all up to him.”
Almost coming out of his country claim, Wheeler is keen to go through his provincial claim before thinking about any moves into town.
Originally published as Young jockey Bailey Wheeler has turned his life around since moving to Queensland
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