It was Sunday December 18th and Jake Hull was wrestling with a few butterflies as he arrived at Taree’s Bushland Drive racecourse with Goofy Mick. Even though the curiously named gelding hadn’t raced for seventeen months, the young trainer had been delighted with his work and with his sole barrier trial at Newcastle sixteen days earlier. All things considered he felt the six year old was a genuine $6.00 chance in the 1000m BM66.
Jake’s butterflies were well justified. This was only his fourth starter since being appointed head trainer for John O’Connor’s Feale Park Training Centre at Somersby near Gosford. John supported him during his riding days and has given him a wonderful opportunity in the training ranks. “I was quietly confident we had the right horse in the right race, but the lack of support from punters had me worried,” said Jake. “Every time I checked the tote monitor he’d drifted further in the betting. I was wondering what the educated punters knew that I didn’t know.”
He needn’t have worried. Goofy Mick was taken back from a wide gate by Lee Magorrian and was in front of only one horse at the 700m. The Irish born jockey threaded between horses on the turn before switching to the extreme outside. The gelding let down impressively in the straight to join the $2.60 favourite Markwell Dreamer at the 100m, before forging away to win easily. Jake’s training performance was widely lauded.
Goofy Mick (Lee Magorrian) was strong at the end of the BM66 at Taree 18/12/2022. Courtesy Trackside Photography.
It’s well documented that Goofy Mick had shown promise in three 1000m country wins in the middle of 2021 for his previous trainer Grant Allard. All three wins were at Muswellbrook, and all in fast time. The horse tended to overrace at that stage of his career, and the decision was made to keep him in shorter races. Next assignment was a 1000m Class 3 at Eagle Farm in July of last year. Connections were left lamenting when the gelding failed to stretch out at any stage and finished seventh of eleven runners. The horse had a legitimate excuse, but the news wasn’t good. X/Rays revealed a condyle fracture in the off hind fetlock joint which required three screws and a long time in the paddock. He still carries those screws, but has been free of subsequent problems.
Six years ago businessman John O’Connor purchased the Somersby training property established by the late John McNair in the early 1990’s, and has subsequently embarked on a gradual upgrading of facilities. Now known as “Feale Park Training” the former orange orchard gets a five star rating as a thoroughbred training precinct. The property offers stable accommodation for fifty five horses, a first class swimming pool, undercover walkers, and roomy spelling paddocks.
The jewel in the crown is a 1200m sand track which features a testing uphill stretch of some 300m. The track has been significantly widened and railed on the inside and outside. “We introduce horses to the sand track very gradually,” said Jake. “The hill really sorts them out for the first few gallops. You can feel them getting stronger week by week, and when they start to “tow” you up the hill you know they’re ready to progress to a barrier trial. Some take longer than others to reach that point.”
Jake (left) says the Somersby sand track played a major role in Goofy Mick's first up win. Courtesy Trackside Photography.
The power of genetics featured prominently in young Jake Hull’s pursuit of a career in racing. His father Mark Hull enjoyed significant success as an apprentice jockey while his mother Alison was a sister to successful trainer Mark Webb. It’s interesting to note that Alison’s sister Melinda is the mother of high profile jockey Josh Parr. Jake’s only brother Ben also rode his share of winners before weight issues intervened. He’s now making a name for himself as a trainer on the Gold Coast, ably assisted by partner, prominent jockey Tegan Harrison. Jake still confers regularly with his uncle Mark Webb. “He was a very good trainer and remains a keen student of all aspects of the game,” says Jake. “I often seek his opinion on the placement of my horses. He’s a great sounding board.”
Despite a height of more than 180cm and a frame that lent itself to weight gain, young Hull was intent on a riding career. He was fortunate to gain an apprenticeship with Gosford trainer Grant Allard who was a staunch supporter from the outset. It was Grant who supplied Jake’s first winning ride - a ride that wasn’t a good “watch” to use modern day terminology.
He rode a mare called Accademia in a 1400m maiden at Tamworth in late 2009. “It was only my fifth race ride and I was obviously pretty green,” he said. “I went back to last and found myself getting too close to the heels of the horse in front at the 600m. Just as I eased my mount, the leaders took off and I suddenly found myself lengths behind the second last horse. I got moving in a bit of a panic and next thing I’m right off the track. Full marks to Grant for having Accademia right on her game on the day. She won despite a dreadful ride. I almost cost her the only race she ever won.”
Jake was still winning races at Tamworth a decade later. Here is a win on Phantom Spark towards the end of his riding career 3/04/2020. Courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Country and provincial winners started to flow for the young jockey, but a year passed before his first city winner came along. He rode a Danasinga gelding called Beaveroo for Wyong trainer Stephen “Beaver” Schofield in a race for non metro winners over 1550m at Canterbury. “We led all the way to win on a horse whose name was taken from his trainer’s well known nickname,’ said Jake. “Beaver’s a great bloke and a very hard worker. I was thrilled to get my first city winner for him.”
Jake was one of the most in demand young riders in NSW over the next five years and the good times were many. The bad times were horrendous. A Newcastle race fall left him with a broken shoulder and internal bleeding. On another occasion at the Wyong trials his mount fell after fracturing a foreleg, and then rolled on top of the hapless jockey. A complex leg break sidelined him for six months. By this stage of his career the sauna had become his second home. “As well as the trauma associated with the accidents, the wasting demons were starting to get to me. By 2012 I wasn’t in a good headspace at all,” said Jake.
It all came to a head one day at a Gosford race meeting. The then nineteen year old had been wasting all week for five or six rides. A few things went wrong during the day and he was in a sorry state emotionally after completing his final commitment. “I was already shuddering at the thought of my next session in the sauna, when I had a brain snap. I walked into the steward’s room and told them I was finished. They gave me a moment to reconsider, but my mind was made up. When I walked out of the room and closed the door, I was sure my riding days were over.
“It was a long time before I realised my decision had been the wrong one. In quitting I’d severed connections with all the people who’d supported me from early days. I knew if ever I wanted to come back I’d have to start all over again. The first thing I did was head to the Gold Coast and move in with my brother Ben who was getting his training career up and running. His partner Tegan Harrison was really starting to make her mark as a jockey. I was still in an environment I loved, but I didn’t have to think about that horrible sweat box. Just to prove I was serious about retirement, I gave all of my gear to Tegan.”
Jake pictured shortly after his first retirement from the saddle in 2012. Courtesy Bradley Photographers.
For the next two years he kept himself active by riding regular trackwork for Ben, Toby Edmonds and Steve O’Dea. He returned to the Central Coast for a short period but decided to head north again when Ben requested further help with trackwork duties. Riding work six days a week kept his weight at a sane level. He didn’t need much prodding in early 2018 when Ben suggested he should miss a few meals and have a race ride on Flying Machine in a Class 1 on the Gold Coast. Jake rated the mare perfectly in front to win comfortably. He would have been highly offended had his brother not put him on again at the Sunshine Coast two weeks later. This time he rode Flying Machine off the pace before grabbing the leaders close to home to win narrowly. Those two race wins gave him a massive adrenaline surge, and for the first time in five years the notion of a serious comeback crept into his thoughts.
It was mid 2018 when a fairly trim Jake Hull turned up for trackwork at his old Gosford stamping ground. Local trainers could see he was deadly serious about a return to the saddle, and immediately offered support. The jockey arranged to spend two mornings a week at Wyong where he quickly came under the notice of trainers like Damien Lane, Kristen Buchanan and Allan Denham. It was almost as though he’d never been away. The sweat box and pristine diet again became a part of his everyday existence, but this time around he was better equipped to handle it. His formula was a simple one - he’d ride until he was no longer enjoying the challenge and the thrill of the chase.
Two years and a healthy number of winners later, Jake recognised the inevitable symptoms of burnout. He arrived at Quirindi racecourse on June 20th, 2020 with three rides and no firm retirement date in mind. His first two mounts Le Rocher and NewYorkNewYork finished out of a place. His final ride for the day was $4.60 “pop” Wallace Street for trainer Melissa Dennett in the 1200m Class 3. He gave the long striding Written Tycoon gelding plenty of time to find his feet and was last of ten runners turning for home. Jake found the fast lane on the extreme outside and brought Wallace Street with a barnstorming run to grab the leaders in the last few bounds. As he brought the winner back to scale he was suddenly aware that this was the right moment to bring down the curtain on a very special part of his life.
Jake Hull's final winner as a jockey. Wallace Street came from last to win a Cl 3 at Quirindi on 20/06/2022. Courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Only weeks later Jake Hull embarked on a brand new career as assistant trainer to his former master Grant Allard at the rapidly developing Somersby training centre. Just six months ago John O’Connor had no hesitation in appointing Jake to the top job, when Grant elected to relocate to Queensland. He will share the training of the O’Connor horses with Wyong’s Damien Lane and Kembla trainer Brett Lazzarini. Goofy Mick might lack the aristocratic name of former turf idols, but he’ll be remembered as the horse to launch Jake Hull’s training career. The young trainer will look for another outside conditioning assignment for the gelding before tackling a metropolitan Midway.
Jake settles into an exciting new chapter in his racing life with the support and encouragement of partner Emily Starr who occupies the role of Spelling Manager at Godolphin’s beautifully appointed “Kelvinside” farm at Aberdeen in the Hunter Valley. Jake’s time as a jockey was always going to be limited. Had he been four or five kilos lighter there’s little doubt he would have reached lofty heights. But there’s no time for reflection now. He’s got twenty five lovely horses to worry about at a state of the art training centre just a stone’s throw from Gosford racecourse, where it all began fourteen years ago. Thanks to Goofy Mick he’s up and running.
Jake was already contemplating his retirement from race riding as he brought Wallace Street back to scale at Quirindi. Courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Goofy Mick swooped on favourite Markwell Dreamer to win at Taree 18/12/2022 - Courtesy Trackside Photography.)