Two things stood out in the BM 64 at Newcastle on Saturday. Firstly the winner Salina Dreaming is obviously better than average judging on her dominant front running display, and the sharp ‘kick’ she produced approaching the 200m.
The daughter of Dream Ahead (USA) was one of a trio of three year olds in the race competing against horses up to eight years of age. The astute Angela Davies has taken her time with the filly who took her record to 3 wins and 3 placings from just 6 starts.
The other standout feature to come out of the race was the intelligent ride by Andrew Gibbons - the complete package as a professional jockey and currently in second place on the NSW premiership with 109 wins.
Despite a very wide draw, Angela Davies asked Andrew to be positive out of the gate and then look for the best available spot. “Salina Dreaming jumped fast and I glanced to my inside to see three or four jockeys looking as though they weren’t interested in leading,” said the jockey. “I crossed and led very easily. I didn’t want to waste an opportunity like that.”
Andrew wins on the improved mare Salina Dreaming Newcastle June 27, 2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The ability to think quickly is just one part of a technique Andrew has developed over twenty six years of race riding - a technique that has brought him around 1165 career winners. He’s won four races in a day on four occasions, and once went within an ace of making it five.
The 2018/2019 season was his most satisfying. His 137 win tally put him in second place on the NSW premiership ladder behind the evergreen Greg Ryan, and fifth in the Australian rankings behind William Pike, Linda Meech, James McDonald and John Allen.
In the previous season (2017/2018) Andrew’s progress was impeded by injuries sustained in a freakish accident at Cessnock. He had a race safely parcelled up on a mare called Rubel who “spooked’ at a discoloured patch of grass at the 150m mark. “She went to jump it, but changed her mind and veered inwards very sharply,” recalled Andrew.
“My right foot made contact with a protrusion in the fence where two panels of plastic railing hadn’t joined correctly. I fractured two toes, one of which was a compound fracture. The original prognosis was twelve weeks on the sidelines. I got back in six weeks but the accident had put me out of the premiership race for that season.”
"Gibbo" wins the TAB Highway at the inaugural Hunter meeting on Trophies Galore - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The thought of becoming a jockey was the furthest thing from Andrew’s mind in the early 1990’s, when he taught himself to ride on a borrowed pony in the Hunter Valley. Prior to this he’d shown any amount of talent on the soccer field, but found he was being pushed “all over the paddock” by much bigger boys.
His boundless reserves of energy then saw him become involved in the unlikely pursuit of boxing. Again he showed innate talent in the 41kg division, winning seventeen of twenty one bouts and picking up an Australian title along the way.
By this time Andrew’s small build was beginning to steer him towards the prospect of becoming an apprentice jockey. He was very fortunate to secure an indentureship with Noel Mayfield-Smith who was then based at Newcastle.
“Noel was a great bloke to work for and he gave me a flying start in the business,” said Gibbons. “Former successful jockey Laurie Billett was working for Noel at the time and he too took an interest in my progress.”
Newcastle trainer Ken Delforce has the distinction of providing Andrew’s first winner - Andy Handout in a 900m Maiden at Newcastle in December 1994. Just to highlight the occasion, the gelding won by 4 lengths.
In the mid 1990’s Noel Mayfield-Smith made the decision to move his team to Hawkesbury. A little later Andrew also moved to Sydney when an opportunity came up with Bryan Guy who was building a pretty strong stable at Rosehill following the premature passing of his father Ray. “I spent the last two years of my apprenticeship with Bryan who gave me some wonderful opportunities,” recalled Andrew.
Young Gibbons rode many winners for the Guy stable including Ripper, to this day one of his all time favourites. “He was a tough, genuine horse who was a pleasure to ride,” he said. “I got a big kick one day when I won a Flying Welter on him at Randwick.”
The young jockey never completely settled into the city environment. The moment his apprenticeship terminated he couldn’t get back to the Hunter quickly enough. “I felt I was better off going back to Newcastle and putting my nose to the grindstone,” he said. “With the help of the late Max Lees and several other Broadmeadow trainers I was able to establish a good clientele.”
Kris Lees identified plenty of talent and a good work ethic in young Gibbons long before the passing of his father Max in 2003. The majority of Andrew’s winners in recent years have come from the Kris Lees yard. “I ride trackwork for Kris three mornings a week, and I’m happy to go wherever he wants me on race days,” said Andrew. “I think he’s taking a small team to Mudgee on July 5th. If he accepts with those horses I’ll be there to ride them. We have a great association.”
Andrew rarely rides in town. When he does it's a tip in itself. Here he is winning on Lady Evelyn at Rosehill 2018 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Jockeys who commit to riding full time on the provincial and country circuit are well aware their chances of getting on a Group 1 horse are greatly reduced. “You really need to be a metropolitan jockey if you’re going to come across top grade horses,” Andrew said. “By the same token there’s a good living to be made out of town provided you can handle the kilometres.
“I’m hoping my ability to ride light might steer me onto a decent Group 1 ride one day. Kris Lees put me on Attention Run in last year’s Metropolitan, because I was able to get down to 50kgs. He ran seventh beaten only 1.5 lengths, and it was a big thrill to be in the race. I wouldn’t want to be riding that light every week, but I can handle 51kgs or 52kgs with enough notice.”
Andrew says he still wonders what may have been, had luck gone his way in the 2015 Coolmore Classic won by Plucky Belle.“I rode Hera for Kris, and Linda Meech rode Plucky Belle for Peter Moody,” he recalled. “Linda and I went for the same opening 100m out, and she beat me to the punch. I ran 5th only half a length from the winner hitting the line strongly. Maybe just maybe, that was the one that got away.”
Andrew has posted 110 wins so far this season - short of his all time best of 137 last season - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Gibbons is philosophical about the fact that he’s won only one stakes race so far - a win that gave him a tremendous thrill. He came from well back to win the 2011 Grafton Ramornie Hcp on Jerezana for Peter Snowden and Sheikh Mohammed. “It was my one and only ride on the mare,” says Andrew. “I wouldn’t have been on her back more than fifteen minutes all up, but it was a very pleasant fifteen.”
Andrew is keenly observing the progress of his eighteen year old son Dylan, who’s indentured to Kris Lees and has 24 trial rides under his belt so far. Apprentices are permitted to ride in races after twenty satisfactory rides before the stewards, but Andrew thinks another half a dozen will stand Dylan in good stead.
“He thinks of nothing else other than being a jockey,” says Andrew. “He just loves everything about racing. He’s a little on the tall side, but very slightly built and shouldn’t have weight issues provided he does everything by the book.”
When asked if Dylan’s younger brother Ryan has any interest in the racing game, Andrew’s reply was very much to the point. “Not the slightest,” he chuckled. “Soccer is Ryan’s go. He might take over where I left off.”
Andrew, who was recently married to long time partner Keeley is right at the top of his game. He has no weight problems. He enjoys the support of the Kris Lees stable and several other respected trainers from the Hunter to the mid north coast
He’s working harder than at any stage of a career which embraces close to three decades. Between Saturday June 20th and Tuesday June 30th, Andrew posted 7 wins and 5 placings from 29 rides over 7 race meetings.
At 42 he’s never been in better form. It might get even better the first time young Dylan Gibbons looms up to challenge his Dad in the closing stages of a race. The old man is sure to have a trick or two up his sleeve.
(Banner image - Chilly Cha Cha had all four feet off the ground when she won this one for Andrew and Kris Lees at Wyong - image courtesy Bradley Photographers)