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Beasley’s journey comes full circle

3 minute read

Well-travelled jockey Danny Beasley will be in his old stomping ground of Sydney this weekend.

Jockey : DANNY BEASLEY.
Jockey : DANNY BEASLEY. Picture: Racing Photos.

Once a regular face in the Sydney jockeys' room riding Group 1 winners the ilk of Grand Armee, Fashions Afield and Victory Vein, Danny Beasley will be back in familiar territory when he heads to Rosehill for three mounts. 

Beasley has enjoyed one of racing's more interesting journeys, spending more than a decade in Singapore where he also had great success before retiring from race riding in 2017 to work as an assistant trainer. 

When COVID hit a few years later and Singapore's riding ranks thinned, Beasley, a natural lightweight who was still hopping on horses at trackwork, decided to rejoin the professional ranks. 

It was a second coming of sorts and now the 47-year-old is embarking on another, this time in his homeland. 

"To be truthful, I've never enjoyed it so much. Maybe I just needed that break from race riding," Beasley said. 

"That two years that I rode in Singapore before I came home, we had a lot of luck. That gave me the confidence to say, 'I'm just going to come back (to Australia) and ride and see how I go'. 

"I haven't put any pressure on myself, or expectation, and I think that's shining out in my riding. 

"I feel that I'm riding pretty well and I have always been my harshest critic, that's the only way you get better and keep in the game." 

Beasley and his young family have settled in Wagga, the town where he grew up. 

He has been happily plying his trade in the Riverina and across the border in country Victoria but has also grasped metropolitan opportunities in Melbourne and more recently Sydney. 

Beasley had a ride for Wagga trainer Mitch Beer at Randwick on the final day of The Championships and on Saturday he heads to Rosehill for three mounts, although it is the Danielle Seib-trained Highway Handicap hopeful Do This All Day that is the reason he's in town. 

"I trialled him at Wagga and he trialled really well so I said I'd be happy to go and ride him," Beasley said. 

"As far as I know she is still keen to run, even though he's drawn a bit awkward (barrier 16). His run last start at Randwick in a similar race, he was really unlucky not to finish a lot closer." 

Beasley will also partner the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Miss Hellfire in the Alan Davidson Handicap (1200m) and To The Nines for Tash Burleigh in the Vale Dean Holland Handicap (1500m), a race that will hold special significance for all participants. 

Beasley only met Holland once when both rode at Benalla six weeks ago, and he wasn't surprised by the outpouring of grief for the jockey, who tragically died from injuries suffered in a race fall this week. 

"I rode at Sandown (a few weeks ago) and Dean was at Randwick and when he rode a lot of the jockeys got around the TV to watch him. You picked up pretty quickly that this guy was a popular person," Beasley said. 

"I can't remember an incident like this that has made such waves through the industry in all my time." 


Racing and Sports

Rosehill

Saturday, 29th April 2023

2
11:55
(local)

TAB HIGHWAY HANDICAP

Age: 3yo and up WT: 54.0kg Type: CL3
AUD $120,000
1400m TURF HEAVY
2
11:55
(local)
AUD $120,000
1400m HEAVY

TAB HIGHWAY HANDICAP

Age: 3yo and up WT: 54.0kg Type: CL3


FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 1. BIANCO VILANO (AUS) 4yo G
FOXWEDGE (AUS) - CAP BIANCO (AUS)
JAMES MCDONALD
RON STUBBS
$4.4
63.5kg
P B Mcnamara & A W Mackay
2nd 7. LISZTOMANIA (AUS) 4yo G
DREAM AHEAD (USA) - KALAHARI PRINCESS (AUS)
DYLAN GIBBONS
AIDEN ST VINCENT
$6.5
57.5kg
M G W Taylor

Sales Information

3rd 2. PREEMPTORY (AUS) 4yo G
WINNING RUPERT (AUS) - TEARS (AUS)
HANNAH WILLIAMS
DANNY WILLIAMS
$5.5
57.5kg
P A Colley, Sarge & Friends (Mgr: R J D'Argent) & Z Churcher

Sales Information

4th 10. CHASE MY CROWN (AUS) 5yo M
HALLOWED CROWN (AUS) - CHASE MY SHADOW (AUS)
BRETT PREBBLE
WAYNE WILKES
$10
57.5kg

Sales Information

5th 12. JALMARI (AUS) 4yo G
THE BROTHERS WAR (USA) - BOOLGATTA LASS (AUS)
TOM SHERRY
DANNY WILLIAMS
$31
57.5kg
6th 16. INDY ROSE WARRIOR (NZ) 4yo M
EL ROCA (AUS) - BLACK CAT (NZ)
KERRIN MCEVOY
PAUL SHAILER
$21
55kg

Sales Information

7th 23. SMOOTH ESPRIT (AUS) 6yo G
BEL ESPRIT (AUS) - EMPRESS ME (AUS)
REECE JONES
CLINT LUNDHOLM
$20
54.5kg

Sales Information

8th 18. SASSY CHOICE (AUS) 4yo M
CHOISIR (AUS) - ROEINDA (AUS)
JAY FORD
PAUL SHAILER
$61
54.5kg

Sales Information

9th 21. SAMMIBALLERINA (AUS) 3yo F
SEBRING SUN (AUS) - HER LYIN' EYES (AUS)
TYLER SCHILLER
TIM MCINTOSH
$16
54kg

Sales Information

10th 6. UNRELENTING (AUS) 5yo G
PRIDE OF DUBAI (AUS) - ZERO TOLERANCE (AUS)
NICK HEYWOOD
MATTHEW DALE
$41
59.5kg

Sales Information

11th 8. LITTLE PROPHET (AUS) 4yo M
DIVINE PROPHET (AUS) - LITTLE 'N' CUTE (AUS)
AMY MCLUCAS
COLT PROSSER
$31
55kg

Sales Information

12th 13. STATESVILLE (AUS) 5yo G
WRITTEN TYCOON (AUS) - NICKED AND COURT (AUS)
RACHEL KING
JAMES PONSONBY
$81
57.5kg

Sales Information

13th 17. JUSTFOUR (AUS) 4yo M
ZOUSTAR (AUS) - MISS VALOR (AUS)
JOAO MOREIRA
PAUL MESSARA
$12
55kg
14th 22. DO THIS ALL DAY (AUS) 5yo G
NOT A SINGLE DOUBT (AUS) - JEU DE CARTES (NZ)
DANNY BEASLEY
DANIELLE SEIB
$41
56kg

Sales Information

15th 9. PROOST (NZ) 4yo M
IFFRAAJ (GB) - GLASS HALF FULL (NZ)
JASON COLLETT
PAUL SHAILER
$41
58kg
16th 4. KING OF SPADES (AUS) 4yo G
XTRAVAGANT (NZ) - BELIEVER (GB)
ZAC LLOYD
DANIELLE SEIB
$9
58kg

Sales Information

17th 15. EMPRESS ZOU (AUS) 4yo M
ZOUSTAR (AUS) - MILITARY QUEEN (AUS)
REGAN BAYLISS
PAUL SHAILER
$51
56kg
18th 19. JAMES BARRIE (NZ) 6yo G
RELIABLE MAN (GB) - IT'S ELEANOR (NZ)
JETT STANLEY
JAMES PONSONBY
$151
53.5kg

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