3 minute read
A second chance is often synonymous of last chance in horse racing.
On 3 February 2017, Singaporean apprentice jockey Joseph See Zhi Yong “walked out a free man” after serving a one-year disqualification for his ride on Perfect Challenger in a Kranji race in November 2015.
For more than two years thereafter, from 4 February 2017 to 16 April 2019 – 802 days to be precise, and what felt as many sleepless nights to him – See had all but lost hope of getting back in the saddle.
On paper, he had a clean slate again and could apply for a fresh licence. There was a major hitch, though; it would be at his second time of asking.
Contrary to the penal world where repeat offenders can walk in and out of incarceration until they mend their ways and are reintegrated into society (at least in theory), See was told that from past history, jockeys usually have only two lives for such bans and their “yellow ribbons” would be at best a job as a track rider.
He had exhausted both bullets. Simply because he had a prior conviction: A similar sentence of one year for his handling of Look At Me that saw him spend most of the 2012 season on the outer.
A second show of leniency from racing officialdom should he reapply for a new licence would be akin to lightning striking twice.
But See, who worked as a delivery man during the one-year ban, knew nothing else apart from being a jockey. Sitting perched atop half-a-tonne beasts every day at trackwork and twice a week in races was about the only trade he knew since he went to Perth as a STAR (Singapore Training Academy for Racing) trainee in 2007.
With three mouths to feed, including two young kids, See found himself walking back to Kranji after the ban was lifted, eyes pinched shut and holding his breath as he went knocking on doors. Once considered among some of the better apprentice jockeys of his time, See was wondering who would open his to a twice-banned rookie.
John O’Hara did. The soft-spoken Singaporean trainer is known for being a kind-hearted man, but neither does he run a halfway house.
He laid the cards down on the table for See to take a long hard look at. There were only two.
One was basically work from scratch as a track rider, head down and bum up every morning from 6am, and if he works his butt off and proves his worth, he will support him through hell and high water. And if he believed he was ready for a new licence, he would stick up for him.
The other card was pretty much the one-way direction he takes if he fails to do the aforementioned – the exit door.
Luckily for See, he picked the first card.
On April 17, last Wednesday, his two years of toiling and self-belief there was a shred of hope he had not been handed a lifetime ban was rewarded with the improbable news he thought he would never hear again – he was given a third chance – a licence to redeem himself until December 31, 2019.
The “App J See” name has already reappeared on a racecard – not seen since his last ride on Imperial Boy on January 31, 2016 - at this Friday standalone meeting on two O’Hara runners, Extra Win in Race 2 and Reign in Race 6.
Whether one of those two will become his 75th Singapore winner (ironically No 74, his last before purgatory was Perfect Challenger on January 29, 2016) for that fairytale comeback, See was already feeling more ecstatic than the way he felt when he booted home his first career winner for his then master Robert Harvey in Western Australia 12 years ago.
“This is for my two kids Jacob and Chayla. I’ve been through hell and during those dark times, all I ever wanted was to make them proud of me again, and now I can,” said See who at 36, still looks youthful and fit, only just a bit less hair.
“I never thought I’d get to ride in a race again. I realise I’m very lucky to have been given a third chance.
“I promise I won’t let anybody down. My kids first and foremost, but also the Singapore Turf Club and the committee members who gave me that last chance to prove myself.
“And of course, I have to thank my boss, John O’Hara. Many times, I felt like giving up, but he would come and give me a kick up the backside, to remind me not to feel sorry for myself and to keep working hard.
“He stood by me during the hearing and I thank him for believing in me and speaking up for me. Without his support, I wouldn’t be here today.
“I really appreciate the way he has helped me along the way till the day he fought for me in front of the panel.”
Now that the battle to be reinstated has been won, does he feel daunted by the task ahead given he was away from the Kranji hustle and bustle for so long and new faces have emerged in the riding ranks in the meantime?
“It’s a good thing I’ve ridden trackwork in the last two years. It’s helped me maintain my weight of 51kgs and fitness,” said See.
“But I’m probably only 70% there. The race fitness will take a while to come back.
“Yes, there is a new bunch of very good apprentice jockeys out there now, and the competition will be even harder than before, but I’m ready for the challenge.
“I have the drive to go forward. I will have to work even harder, and hopefully, I can get back where I left off.”
