Young jockey Tiffani Brooker ends short-lived retirement with renewed determination
So much so that she retired last year, with no real ambitions of returning to be a jockey albeit she remained in the industry while working for Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke.
But Brooker has returned from her sabbatical, both refreshed and refocused and she has a special horse to thank, at least in part.
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On Saturday at Doomben, Brooker rides Shaun Dwyer -trained pint-sized gelding Becamo.
Brooker will be seeking her third consecutive win on Becamo, in the BM78 Handicap (2000m) where the galloper is a $14 chance after sneaking into the field as first emergency.
But this is much more than just another horse race for Brooker.
Becamo is part-owned by her great mate Rachel Mason, the retired former Queensland jockey.
'Rachel had only just retired when I started my apprenticeship and she really took me under my wing,' Brooker said.
'We have been great mates for years and years, even through all the ins and outs that I have been through.
'Rachel met her partner and they purchased this horse online.
'He was a yearling but he was so small that when I saw him in the paddock, I asked Rachel if she was sure she hadn't bought a weanling.
'It adds something a bit extra to everything, just riding this horse.
'I know how much Rachel loves this horse and now the horse has won his last two in pretty good fashion.
'Rachel is one of the few people who can tell me things about my riding because she has been there and done it and she has known me for so long.
'We don't talk every day, but I can ring her and talk about any issue and she has a very level head.'
Brooker, coming off a winning double at Gatton on Thursday, has four rides at Doomben on Saturday.
It's a far cry from when she walked away from race riding with no plans to be back.
•
'I took six months off last year and I pretty much just put myself into retirement,' Brooker said.
'I went and worked for David Vandyke, rode work and did a lot of groundwork, I didn't really think about the races.
'I wasn't injured, I was just in a bit of a rut and I decided I didn't want to do it (be a jockey) any more.
'I went and did a bit of travelling but had an epiphany and realised that being a jockey was what I really wanted to do.
'I'm really determined and focused and I have to be, because I think the riding scene in Queensland at the moment is the toughest since I have been a jockey.'
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