When Keagan Latham returned to race riding on December 4th, he felt his fitness levels were close to where they needed to be. He hadn’t ridden in a race for more than four months but couldn’t get back to trackwork quickly enough after being cleared by specialists on November 10th. Within ten days he was back at the barrier trials.
The enforced layoff couldn’t have come at a worse time for the expat South African who had been one of Australia’s most successful jockeys in the 2020/2021 season. His 101 win tally secured him seventh spot on the NSW premiership. Sixty two of those wins gave him the coveted provincial title by a nine win margin from Tommy Berry - a dream achievement for a jockey who was battling to get a ride in the UK just five years ago.
Keagan arrived unheralded in Sydney in late 2016. He hasn't looked back! - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Keagan was away to a good start in the new season but it was all over in less than a heartbeat on August 10th when Who Loves To Dance fell without warning at the 500m in a Hawkesbury maiden. Amazingly the gelding was racing by himself at the tail of the field.
It wasn’t the kind of fall you’d expect to render too much damage to the jockey. Latham was amazed when doctors at Westmead Hospital later identified fractures to the neck and back, a broken collarbone and severe concussion. The clavicle injury required surgery.
“On reflection I probably should have delayed my return for another couple of weeks,” said the jockey. “I couldn’t help myself when Con Karakatsanis tempted me with the offer of the ride on Time Raid in a Rosehill Midway. I only beat one home but it was wonderful to be back. Mind you I would have blown the house down as we pulled up. I’m still not back to the level of fitness I enjoyed last season. It seems to be taking forever but I’m getting there.”
Despite his lack of match practice Keagan has managed to ride four winners since his return to the saddle. The most satisfying was the first - a Gosford maiden on Moralist for Matthew Smith just before Christmas. You wouldn’t have known he was lacking peak fitness as he lifted Perfect Match over the line to win at Wyong for Gary Moore on January 8th. Gary had trained the horse involved in Keagan’s horror fall at Hawkesbury and was obviously delighted to be a part of the South African’s comeback journey. Twenty four hours later Keagan bobbed up again on Bully For You at Nowra for Gwenda Markwell.
The all important first win on the comeback trail - Moralist for Matthew Smith at Gosford 23/12/2021 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Under normal circumstances he would have been at the Kembla meeting on Saturday, but the opportunity to ride three horses at Rosehill Gardens made good sense. One of them was a mare he’d ridden on two previous occasions when trained by John O’Shea. “I actually won a BM race on Crosscheck at Kembla in October 2020 and recalled that she had a bit of talent,” said Latham. “She’d raced only a few times since, and Gary Moore has recently taken over the training. I also knew she was quoted at long odds in Saturday’s Midway.”
With the Kembla fixture called off, Keagan was delighted to be a part of the action at Rosehill. His first ride of the day was two year old filly Street Smarts for Matthew Dunn, and what a tidy race she ran. Having her first run since October the daughter of Street Boss did some work from a tricky gate to settle outside the leader before finishing fifth less than four lengths from Sky Ride - a pointer to her future prospects.
With Gary Moore on the Gold Coast to saddle Sing A Love Song in the $250,000 maiden, son James was at Rosehill to look after Crosscheck. The Hinchinbrook mare was coming off only one very soft trial against smart opposition ten days earlier. After beginning well in the 1200m BM72, Crosscheck drifted back to be in front of only two horses and was still there turning for home. There was ample room when she attempted a run between two others at the 250m, but Crosscheck was stopped in her tracks when the opening closed. “I thought that would take the wind out of her sails, but when the opening reappeared she wanted to barge through,” said Keagan. “She dropped into another gear to grab the leaders. It was a super win and a great thrill for me to win a metropolitan race.”
The vigorous Latham snatches victory on the line in Saturday's Midway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The jockey wasn’t required again for close to three hours when he was to ride the Richard and Michael Freedman trained Ulysses in the BM78. The gelding had his chance in finishing a respectable sixth behind Ranges. The gap between commitments gave Keagan all the time he needed to watch a Gold Coast race in which he had a deep personal interest. Hugh Bowman was the fortunate jockey to pick up the Magic Millions Cup ride on Eleven Eleven - a horse Keagan rates as the best he’s ever ridden.
Latham had ridden Eleven Eleven in six of his nine wins including the Magic Millions Guineas victory which was credited to the gelding following Alligator Blood’s disqualification in 2020. Apprentice Tyler Schiller handled the Fastnet Rock gelding at his first two runs back this preparation which included a win in The Warra at Kembla on Gong Day. Strong stable sentiment towards Latham saw the jockey reinstated on his old favourite in the listed Razor Sharp at Randwick on December 11th.
It was decided the horse should go back from a horror draw, and Eleven Eleven was in front of only Just Field in the middle stages.
Allowed to roll forward from the 600m, he was within striking distance of the leaders on straightening up, but made little impression down the running to finish six lengths from the long priced winner Special Reward. Keagan was obviously disappointed when overlooked for the Gold Coast mission, but respects the decision of the owners.
“At the time of the Razor Sharp I’d been back at the races only one week and hadn’t looked like riding a winner,” he said. “Naturally the owners knew I was lacking race fitness and had no way of judging where I was mentally. They’ve got a horse in a one million dollar race and a jockey who is just back from a long layoff. They certainly picked the right rider on Saturday. What a ride it was by Hugh Bowman. As much as it hurt, I was delighted for the owners and for Greg Hickman who’s done a mighty job with the horse. A few comforting words from mates in the jockey’s room didn’t do any harm.”
Keagan in one of six wins on Eleven Eleven. Kembla 08/08/2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
With almost half of the new season done and dusted, Keagan is aware he’ll be lucky to get on the page as far as premierships are concerned. “All I can do is regenerate my stable connections and get back to where I was this time last year,” he said. “There’s no easy fix for the modern day jockey. Trackwork, barrier trials and endless travelling are the pathway to success. Obviously the odd talented horse helps the sanity factor.”
The arrival of Keagan and Nancy Latham’s first child in April will mean more to the couple than any major race win. The jockey met his future wife during his stay in England when Nancy was a valued trackwork rider for prominent Yorkshire trainer Kevin Ryan.
It was Nancy who encouraged Keagan to try his luck in Australia when his English riding career stalled. They arrived in Sydney shortly before Christmas of 2016, and as Keagan worked tirelessly to find a niche in Australian racing, Nancy put her talents to good use working for trainers like the late Rick Worthington and Mark Newnham.
Towards the end of 2019 and firmly committed to a future in Australia, Keagan and Nancy returned to England where they were married in an historic Yorkshire church. After a brief honeymoon it was back to Sydney to rekindle the few precious connections they had forged in the racing industry. At the moment the Lathams are unaware of the sex of the little one they’re about to bring into the world.
They are acutely aware of the fascinating South African and English background the newborn will represent. Equally important is the realization that they’ve produced a true blue Aussie. You’ll be taking short odds they may also be the parents of a potential true blue Aussie jockey!
A stakes win for Latham on the Maher/Eustace trained Dr. Drill in the 2020 Scone Cup - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Keagan wins his first metropolitan race since returning to the saddle after a long, injury enforced layoff - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)