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The family and friends of former jockey Keith Banks are struggling to come to terms with his accidental death in the Upper Hunter last week. The respected horseman died from injuries sustained when he lost his footing and plunged down an embankment near the Barrington Tops. To say Keith Banks was born to be a jockey is to borrow a hackneyed phrase from the Australian racing industry. In this case the phrase couldn’t be more relevant.

At age 14 Keith tipped the scales at 34 kgs. Twenty eight years later he rode a fancied runner in the Caulfield Cup at 45.5 kgs. An affinity with horses and his ability to ride at the limit weight made him a busy jockey for almost three decades. Injuries sustained in a freak trackwork accident terminated Keith’s career in 1986. He trained successfully for a few years before establishing a successful spelling and pre-training business near Scone. It’s with great sadness that I offer my tribute to a fine horseman and an even better man.

It was another Keith who brought a big crowd to the Mount Isa races in Queensland last Saturday to help celebrate a remarkable riding career. Keith Ballard at 71 and indisputably Australia’s oldest active jockey, brought down the curtain on 55 years of race riding in his home state. The meeting had been transferred from Julia Creek after torrential rain in the black soil country.

The veteran had rides in all five races. The best he could manage in the first four was a third placing, and the fans were losing hope that Keith could generate a fairy tale ending. The evergreen horseman turned it all around on Metal Bar in the last - the 1450m Julia Creek Cup. He took no prisoners, taking Metal Bar straight to the front and running rivals off their feet. We present a special podcast with Keith recorded two days before the meeting. It’s a good yarn with a Queensland racing icon.

Tappy

(Banner image courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)

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