Michael Rodd has exited Victorian jockey ranks and is headed to quarantine before resuming back where it all began two decades ago – Brisbane.
The Melbourne Cup-winning rider returned to Australia from Singapore at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and has been forced to endure not only a frustrating lack of rides, but life away from his young family.
“I haven’t seen them for almost 10 months,” Rodd exclusively told racing.com.
“They were in Singapore with me and when the virus took off there, I sent them all home (to Rockhampton) because I thought they just can’t be here whilst this is happening and about two weeks later it hit Australia.”
When racing in Singapore was shut down, Rodd decided to return to Australia as well, but headed south to Melbourne rather than immediately to Queensland.
“To go back to Brisbane, I would have had to quarantine twice, and it was just a strange time, so I came back to Melbourne and I haven’t seen them since then.”
Rodd’s wife Cara and daughters Lila (four) and Chloe (12 months) have remained in Queensland all year whilst he battled, unsuccessfully, to regain his place at the top of the Melbourne riding ranks.
“I was away for five years and that was just enough time for my old contacts to find new jockeys, old trainers to find new jockeys,” Rodd said, who rode mainly for Mark Kavanagh and owner Lloyd Williams through the 2000s.
“The kids coming through have taken my place and it’s just such a good group of riders; the Melbourne jockeys’ room would be competitive anywhere in the world.”
The 38-year-old, who rode Kings Will Dream in the Ballarat Cup on Saturday, is now headed to his parent’s place on the New South Wales Central Coast before being able to cross the border into Queensland where he can reunite with his wife and daughters.
“They’ve changed so much,” he lamented.
“My youngest is crawling, she’s almost walking, and she is standing up.
“She has known me more through Facetime than she has me actually physically being there … she’s not going to even know me for the first few weeks.
“She’ll be looking at me thinking ‘who is this guy?’”.
It is very much a homecoming for Rodd, who began his apprenticeship in Brisbane at the end of 2000 but, like his return to Melbourne, he knows that things will not be as easy as they once were.
“They’ve got a good group of young riders up there, so it’ll be tough. I’ve got to get back there and work but I am looking forward to it.”
The first port of call after deciding to return to Brisbane was leading trainer Tony Gollan, who Rodd already has a strong relationship.
“I won his first Group 1 for him and I have already phoned Tony and he’s happy to hear that I am back and I will just call around the other trainers and let them know that I’m coming and hopefully I can just slot back in to the place.”
– racing.com
