Like the TAB Everest, the Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic doesn’t carry Group 1 status but is still a very prestigious addition to the CV of winning jockeys.
Present day Brisbane trainer Chris Munce is justifiably proud of his three Magic Millions wins as a jockey on Sunblazer (1989), Excellerator (2001) and Dance Hero (2004). He also rues the one that got away in 1994.
A fall in the opening race on the programme rendered Chris unfit for the Magic Millions ride on the glamour colt Brave Warrior. It’s now history that the late Neil Williams was called from his home to replace the bitterly disappointed Munce. Brave Warrior produced one of the biggest finishes in the history of the race to grab St. Covet in the last stride.
Six jockeys hold the distinction of winning the “Millions” on two occasions. Luke Currie, Hugh Bowman and Tommy Berry still have plenty of time to chase Munce’s record. Wayne Harris, Brian York and Mick Dittman have long quit the saddle but all look back with satisfaction on their dual successes in the glamour juvenile race.
Brian York won his Magic Millions Classics on St. Jude (1990) and Our Fiction (1993) - both trained by his great friend, the late Bruce McLachlan. It was McLachlan who enticed York from NZ in the late 1980’s to take over the role of stable jockey at his newly established Thornhill Park training operation at Caboolture. The partnership was eminently successful for eleven years, interrupted briefly when Brian accepted a short term contract in Hong Kong.
Injury forced Brian York out of the saddle in 2004 after a stellar career which brought him 2000 winners and 35 Gr 1’s. Here he is unsaddling Filante after the 1996 Epsom - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
York, who was forced into retirement following a race fall in 2002 has clear recollections of his two wins in the “pressure cooker” race. “St. Jude, always the professional racehorse parked outside the leader before forging clear and then holding on to beat Trustful from the David Hayes stable,” recalled the former champion jockey.
“In the 1993 edition Bruce had two runners, a filly and a colt. Greg Hall rode Flying Tycoon and I finished up on the filly Our Fiction. I had all the luck while Greg had none. We were both well back in the field approaching the turn where Greg elected to take off wide. I found gaps near the inside and dashed through to grab the lead close to home. Flying Tycoon flashed up to get within a long head of Our Fiction. I was lucky to get away with that one. I also rode four placegetters in the race - a third on Chortle and seconds on Special Dane, Chuckle and Miss Bussell.”
It’s hard to believe eighteen years have passed since Brian York’s stellar career was brought to a halt when he was involved in a sickening fall at Rosehill. His mount was a New Zealand gelding called Panorama, at the time being trained out of Paul O’Sullivan’s Randwick stable. “I was running about fourth approaching the hometurn, when the horse fractured a foreleg and dropped like a stone,” said Brian. “Two others came over the top of me. One of them collected my left knee and completely spun me around.”
The damage to that knee necessitated extensive surgery and the insertion of plates and screws. Brian knew he was in for a long and tedious period of rehabilitation. He spent hours in the gym under the supervision of his physiotherapist and put himself through a torturous exercise regime. Months later he actually tried himself out on a tractable horse only to discover that the “hardware” on the inside of the knee was causing too much friction when he contacted the saddle.
At the time of his accident the jockey had been battling with a second problem arising from a mishap at the barrier trials. “I was circling behind the barrier when my mount spun quickly, and actually dislodged me,” recalled Brian. “One of my feet stayed in the iron and I was literally hanging upside down for a few seconds. Thankfully the horse didn’t take off, which enabled me to get the foot free.
“In the following weeks I was very uncomfortable in one hip. A specialist diagnosed a labral tear which troubled me for quite a while before the Rosehill fall. When I tried to ride again after the knee surgery, I was still getting hip pain. Looking back now I can see the writing was on the wall.”
“I had a second operation later to remove the plates and screws from the left knee, but my troubles were only just beginning,” said Brian. “I had serious flexion problems. If I bent down or tried to squat on my haunches for more than a minute, I couldn’t straighten my leg at all. It wasn’t long before I realised a comeback was all but impossible.”
Happier days! Brian won 9 races on Fairway including 3 Gr 1's. He was elated after winning the 2000 Australian Derby on the Jack Denham trained gelding - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The reality of this brutal twist of fate hit him like a ton of bricks. Only a few months before his freakish accident he’d dominated the Sydney jockeys premiership with 111.5 wins - 46.5 ahead of his nearest rival Larry Cassidy. It was his first Sydney premiership, following on from three metro titles in Brisbane.
He’d been blessed with opportunities to ride the champion Might And Power, and great horses like Filante, Fairway, Our Maizcay, General Nediym, St. Jude, and Planet Ruler. There were few major Australian stables which hadn’t used his services at some stage.
“The toughest part was coming to terms with the fact that I was only forty years old,” said Brian over the weekend. “I was coming off a premiership win, my health was good, my weight was fine and I was enjoying my riding. I was actually hoping I could continue to age fifty. It was a real kick in the guts.”
One of Brian's seven wins on Might And Power - the 1998 Chelmsford. This was the first day of Sky's new home racing service - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It was almost two years after the fateful Rosehill fall when Brian York officially announced his retirement from Australia’s race riding ranks. He isn’t the kind of bloke to let the grass grow under his feet. First up he was invited to join the management team of His Excellency Nasser Lootah’s Emirates Park racing and breeding operation. His principal role over the next two years was to oversee the training and racing of the many Emirates horses in Sydney stables.
During this period Brian decided to further his interest in photography - a passion he’d developed on a South African holiday a few years earlier. In his trademark style the former champion jockey enrolled for a TAFE course and didn’t leave a stone unturned in learning the finer points of the craft.
His rapidly emerging aptitude was recognised within the racing industry, resulting in some actual commercial work. I caught up with him on one of those early assignments at Torryburn Stud in the Hunter Valley for Sky’s “Inside Racing” programme. He looked the thorough professional as he photographed some of the home mares with foals at foot. It seemed that memories of Might And Power and other great horses he’d ridden were pushed into the background. He was beginning a new phase of life with the same focus that had marked his brilliant riding career.
Brian's new role with Emirates Park and TVN commitments kept him at the races after his retirement from race riding - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Six years ago the industrious York hit on an idea after being contacted by former jockey Neil Paine who is still a member of the Waterhouse-Bott team. Neil told him Gai and Adrian were looking for ways to provide trackwork video reports for their many owners.
Brian was aware the camera he’d been using in his photographic work could also double as a video camera. He believed the recording of trackwork by Sydney trainers was going to be the next major step in owner communication. He floated the idea to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott who loved the concept and decided to run with it a short time later.
With trademark professionalism he went out and purchased an audio recording unit to go with his video camera, and immediately sought some professional consultation in the field of video editing.
Not only does Brian’s association with Gai and Adrian continue to flourish, but many other stables around Australia have followed his lead.
He’s one of the first to arrive at the infield trainer’s hut at Randwick for fast work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the “jump outs” every Friday morning. “I work from the trainer’s hut where I check which horses are to be highlighted,” said Brian. “I get some footage of them warming up and the jockeys being legged on. I’ve then got a brisk jog to an elevated position right next to the big infield screen.
“The first few horses work in near darkness, but the brilliant infield spotlights allow me to record their gallops. I’ve then got to hurry back to the tower where I video the horses as they return and grab some audio of the jockey’s comments. I’m obviously not as sound as I used to be but I manage it fairly well, and it’s great exercise.
“On Friday mornings I position myself close to the “jump out” barrier where the younger horses are going through this crucial stage of their education. After each video session Adrian very capably provides a commentary on the morning’s proceedings.”
By 8.30am Brian is on his way back to his Croydon home where he prepares the morning “package”. With the pictures edited and Adrian’s “voice over” added, the versatile York is able to load the finished product onto the stable’s unlisted You Tube facility. He then provides links to owners around Australia and overseas.
Brian explained that his new role is the perfect involvement for a former jockey. “It allows me to move in the only environment I’ve ever known and to maintain contact with old friends both equine and human,” he said. “I feel a little bit cheated having missed out on a few more years of race riding, but you can’t have everything. I’m still putting one foot after the other, and I’m very grateful for the wonderful years I had as a jockey.”
Wonderful years indeed. You can’t get much more wonderful than two thousand career wins with thirty five at Group 1 level including some of Australia’s most iconic races. There was also a five win haul at a Doomben meeting on the eve of his departure to Hong Kong.
Brian notched a Group hat trick on Vita Man in 1999. This is the middle leg, the Colin Stephen Quality.
9 days later Vita Man won the Metropolitan - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It’s been an exciting journey for Scottish born York who emigrated to New Zealand with his parents and three brothers in 1972. He was apprenticed to Cliff Fenwick at Takanini, a suburb of Auckland. His career was already assured when Bruce McLachlan put out the feelers to get him to Queensland and the plum role of stable jockey for Thornhill Park.
By Brian’s side on arrival at Caboolture was his charming wife Karen who quickly endeared herself to the Brisbane racing fraternity. She did the same thing in Sydney when Brian felt the time was right to make the move into a tough new arena. Karen played a massive part in getting him through the dark days almost twenty years ago and has offered encouragement in every subsequent venture undertaken by her remarkable husband.
The Yorks recently celebrated thirty seven years of marriage.
Two recent comments from acquaintances triggered this week’s story on Brian York. One veteran racing man enquired into the current whereabouts of the former star jockey. Another statistician informed me a few days ago that Yorky was one of six jockeys to win the Magic Millions 2YO Classic twice.
A phone conversation followed in which the man himself told me what he’s up to as 2021 begins. He was also very concise in recollections of his Magic Millions double.
It was great to catch up with a jockey who was indisputably one of the best of his generation. He can be equally proud that he was also one of the most respected.
Brian chats with owner Nick Moraitis as he returns to scale after the Chelmsford Stakes win on Might And Power - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Fairway got an easy lead in the 2000 Australian Derby and always looked the winner. Shogun Lodge was second and Now Voyager third - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)