00:00:06
Opie, welcome to my podcast. Your first podcast. It is my first and uh thanks for having me, mate. It's great to have
00:00:11
you here. OP OP boss, I was wondering where you got your name from. Um and finally, I think I got it. The penny
00:00:17
dropped the other day. So, your your name is Owen Patrick. And so, that's like OP as your initials for short.
00:00:24
Yeah, that's right. Um I've always been called Op really. My grandmother said to my
00:00:30
mother, you can't call a little baby Owens. He's not It's an old person's
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name. So, I got called Opie. So, is have I got it right? Is that because your initials are OP? That's
00:00:40
right. Yeah. And they just put IIE on the end. Right. Right. Right. So, who who calls you Owen? Lanco Sullivan. Um,
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that's about it. Why does Cuz he was like one of your He's He's one of the greatest jockeyies
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of all time as well. Lanco Sullivan. I was actually on um a TV show with him, Treasure Island. I remember. Um he he
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ended up winning. Um he was an [ __ ] He voted me off very early. Um why does he call you Owen?
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Probably for something different cuz everyone's called me OP and he's just
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just to try and get have an angle that year, you know. But um yeah, he's be he's been a my idol when I started
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riding and uh and he was a great mentor when I put to me when I was younger as well. Yeah. No, he's a good dude. He's a
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good um his wife Bridget, she was on the show as well and she's lovely as well.
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So, I reached out to you to get you on the podcast um because on Boxing Day 2024, you um and this was kind of
00:01:32
shocking in the the horse racing industry. You announced your retirement. Yeah, I'd been thinking about it for a
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while and um just the losing losing the weight really was really getting to me and I was walking around the streets
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with sweet gear on on Christmas Day and watching every everybody having their dim meals and and you're sitting there,
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I've still got to get in the sauna for a few hours and lose some more weight. And
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I was like, I've just had enough. And I had a few rides and said to one of the
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boys, I said, "Oh, I think this might be my last day." And thought about it all
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the way home and made the the decision the next morning. Had it been playing on your mind for a while? It had. Um, the
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scary thing was I just didn't know what was next. Um, but um I still really don't know what's next just yet, but um
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just wait for the dust to set a little little bit more and something will pop up. Yeah, it's um it's it's terrifying.
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I've I've had so many um like high performers on the podcast and um I suppose the the type that springs to
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mind most of all is all blacks and rugby players and that steep drop off off a cliff when they retire from rugby and
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some of them get to retire on their own terms but a lot of them don't. It's like
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something that's made for them and it's [ __ ] terrifying because there's two
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pieces of the puzzle, right? There's the financial piece of the puzzle which um
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you know hopefully you've got in place but a lot of people don't. Um but then
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there's also the fact that life is actually quite long. You know, people say life's short, but it's actually
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quite long, and you need to find something else to fill your days up productively. Yeah, exactly. Like rugby
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players, their careers aren't long. Um, mainly because of injury, but jockeyy's
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life is you probably can keep going for a little bit longer, but I just I find when you're losing weight and all that
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all the time, it's just takes its toll. and I I just thought my body just had
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enough cuz I'm I'm from, by the way, I'm going to ask a lot of dumb questions
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because I don't know a lot about horse racing, but I am from Palmer North and
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um I I got to know um a guy called Nol Harris reasonably well. He was [ __ ] old, right? And he was still riding
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horses. He must have been in his 60s. He was I think he's probably one of the
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oldest to to keep going. And he's um a lot of trainers say they should um what do they say? that put put his body
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to science when when he dies cuz there's going to be never never another person
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like it. Yeah. So, um yeah, there's so much to talk about with you, mate. Like
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the um the weight cutting thing. I'm I'm intrigued about that and I am c curious
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to talk about that. But first of all, let's run through some stats here. 2,146 wins, 259 of them in New Zealand.
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So, most of your racing was done in New Zealand, but you also raced um in Australia a bit and in Asia. Yes. um
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Singapore, Macau, and 99 group one victories in New Zealand and Australia. Um first of all, again, probably a dumb
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question, but what does what does it mean? What does a group one mean? Um group ones are the the pinnacle of um
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any race, like the the highest quality and um the most um status. And you're
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the goat of that. No one's no one's won more than 99. Not not in New Zealand. Um
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a New Zealand based jockey anyway. And I know James McDonald's passed it now and
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um but it seems it's quite good to be a New Zealand base jockey to to achieve
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that. Who's who's next on the list? Uh Lance Sullivan. I think I think he was
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on 68. And he's retired. Are you happy with him calling you Owen? Because I feel like
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with 99 versus 68, if you want him to call you OP, he can [ __ ] call you OP. He he should be should by now. Um I've
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got a quote here from you in March 2024. So, this is what, eight, nine months before you announced your retirement.
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Um, in this interview in March 24, you were asked about your retirement plans and you said, "I've got a few more years
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left barring injuries. I'd like to get to a 100 group one winners and ride for
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a few more seasons." Yeah, I I I was trying my best to to get to the to the the 100 and um the the
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mind and the body just were saying no. So I I I don't know maybe a few years
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down the track when the body comes right again I might hit one more crack at that
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but um at at this stage I'm definitely retired. But you're at peace with 99.
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Yes. It's just a number. Yeah. Yeah it is. It is just a number. I remember Richie McCoy he retired at the
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end of the um I think 2015 season. Final game was the Rugby World Cup final which
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the blacks won. He was on 148 test and there was a lot of like chat people saying why don't you come back next year
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play a couple we'll get to 150. But it's kind of arbitrary in a way, isn't it?
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Yeah. Well, like I know you probably get remembered for saying, "Oh, you wrote
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100 Group One winners, but it's it's not going to change anything." Um, so that's
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why I thought I just go on your own terms without being injured and Yeah. So, you're sort of at peace now? Like
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it's we're recording this almost um I don't know, I suppose like three weeks
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after that announcement. Are you at peace? I I am a bit I feel so more relaxed um that that I don't have to
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stress about losing weight and everything like that. But um at the same time I'm I'm still helping out riding a
00:06:25
bit of track work just to keep keep fit and and healthy. How are you feeling about this because
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this is as we said at the beginning this is your first podcast. Like are you are
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you nervous? Are you quite comfortable? I'm very nervous. My hands are sweating.
00:06:38
Are they? Are they? Well I Yeah. Yeah, cuz I've spent most of my most of my adult life, I guess, in a studio. And I
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started in radio very young. Um, like when I was 17. Uh, you started riding horses um like as an apprentice when you
00:06:50
were 15. So, I suppose like the way you're feeling now, it would be like me if I was on the back of a horse. Like
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fish out of order really. Like you say, it's just something different. But, um,
00:07:01
seems to be going so okay so far. Yeah. Well, I mean, the goal is to relax you and, um, basically just celebrate your
00:07:06
life and and career. I've done a lot of research and there's a lot of a lot of
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highs. Um, so it' be great to talk about them and maybe some of the lows as well.
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There was, um, yeah, at New Zealand Herald, they wrote a story about your retirement. Um, and I've got a quote
00:07:19
here. A genius in the saddle sometimes troubled out of it. And I Googled I I couldn't find any dirt on you. What does
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that mean? Uh, had the odd girlfriend here and there, but but you looked a little bit weward.
00:07:37
Um, have go and have a night out and go go for about three nights. So, about uh slowly growing up, I think. Right. Oh,
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that seems a bit um a bit mean-spirited of the herald to like put that line in there. Did Did you read that? And well,
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oh, that's a little little bit below the belt. Oh, there's always someone to have
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a little dig about something anyway. Well, if that's the worst thing you've
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done, that's not bad. I was thinking something scandalous in the horse racing
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industry. Nothing scandalous. No, definitely not. No, no, no, no. Um, what what about other goals? So,
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ultimately you wanted to get to 100 group one winners and you got to 99. Um, but as I said, 20 2,146 wins overall. Is
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there um any any goals that you wanted to achieve that you didn't? No, I I I I'd love to have won a
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Melbourne Cup. Um but I think my best chance of doing that was a horse Mongolian Khn and he he won the leadup
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race, the Corfield Cup, and then um got sick two days before um the Melbourne Cup and his favorite. And so that then
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that was my only chance of really winning a Melbourne Cup. And um that that was probably my biggest low of my
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career. Why is why is Melbourne Cup such a big deal for a jockey? It's the it's
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the the biggest race of Australasia and even the world now. So like they stops the nation. So pretty much stops two
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nations and um and all the English horses come in, Japan horses come down and and go for it. Because you you rode
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it a couple of times e but just early in your career. Yeah, I did. Um then at the
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light awaits. So you you've got to be be able to ride pretty lightly to pick up a
00:09:08
decent ride in that race these days. What do you mean in terms of the the body weight of the jockey? Yes. Um it's
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usually around about 54 kilos below. What are you today? Probably about 62. You fat [ __ ]
00:09:22
What you What do you think? Um, this is probably something that you've never um
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got to enjoy or experience in in the almost 30 years that you've been racing
00:09:30
as a jockey, but what you what do you think your comfortable weight will be? I I think I'm quite comfortable now. I
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actually feel a little bit fat. So, um I think once once you start eating a normal normal normally in um the weight
00:09:46
will flatten out a bit. Yes. So, so those two Melbourne Cups you did um so you you were young at the time like a
00:09:52
teen teenager. Yeah, I think I was 18 and then the second one I was 20. So, right. So, I read 54 and when I was 18
00:09:59
then 50 kilos the when I was 20. How'd you get on those gears? No, no good. The
00:10:04
first one I thought was a chance of winning at the top of the straight, but uh then he just faded run 11th and the
00:10:11
second one was no chance. It was just just having having a ride in the race really. That sounds like the sort of
00:10:15
horse that I usually bet on. just going around. Um, yeah, again, probably a lot of dumb questions here, but um, I figure
00:10:22
if if I've got these questions, then a lot of people listening will have these
00:10:25
questions as well. Um, how much of the performance of a horse comes down to like the jockey versus the horse itself?
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Like how much of a difference can you make? Um, I don't think if the horse is good enough, it's
00:10:39
it usually can win. But, um, I think as a jockey, you have to put it in the right place at the right time and and be
00:10:46
as I say in the right time be in the right position to attack up the straight without going past over too many too
00:10:53
much ground and but um the horse is the the biggest thing cuz some of the articles I've read about you in the the
00:11:00
past week knowing that we've got this podcast coming up like people some really experienced people like um Lanc
00:11:05
Sullivan for example they they talk about you just having this instinct or the snack of you getting the horse into
00:11:10
the right place. Yeah. People ask me after a race like why why'd you do that?
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And I was like do what? and they're like this at this certain point of the race
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and I was like I don't know it just happened like um I'm I'm actually quite
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blessed to be able to to do that and um like you see a lot of people they work really really hard to try and get that
00:11:27
but it come quite naturally to me. All right. Well, let's go back to the early years and then we'll um yeah we'll
00:11:34
we'll work our way through chronologically the um the the OP Boston story. So um dad and granddad both
00:11:41
jockeyies. Yep. Your dad was okay but not brilliant? No, he was an amateur jockey and I think might have run a
00:11:48
couple of winners but um he he trained a few horses. That's how pretty much how I
00:11:52
got into it. So, what's your earliest memory of a horse? Oh, we always had horses um raceh horses at at the stable.
00:12:00
Not not a big amount, but um I think I got a photo of me when I was about two sitting on a horse in the middle of the
00:12:06
paddic by myself. So, that's um probably the earliest memory I've had. So it was
00:12:11
like a second nature sort of thing really. Just that comfort of being around horses I guess it is. Um and I
00:12:16
always wanted to be a jockey from about the age of three. I had my own set of colors made and um used to rock around
00:12:22
with them and um it's it's a dream for me anyway actually. Why yeah why did you
00:12:28
want to why was it just like a kid that wanted to be like his dad? Yeah. Well, I
00:12:31
think my my dad was always into it and a lot of his mates were into it and yeah,
00:12:36
I think I think it was just in my head and and I just love the horse as well. And where did you go to school? How how
00:12:42
was school by the way? Were you were you quite small for your size? Yeah. Um I went to school in Roora. Mhm.
00:12:51
Just having a water break. Um I I I like school. pretty much went to eat my lunch, but I was I was quite small, but
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um I'd go to school to play rugby and um then I had to make this decision when I
00:13:04
um whether I wanted to be a rugby player or or a jockey and I was like, "Well,
00:13:09
I'm definitely going to have to be a jockey." I'm not big enough to be a
00:13:11
rugby player. Oh, you could have been all right as a half, couldn't you? That's pretty much what I Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:15
Yeah. Um were you were you teased at school for being small or not really? Not really.
00:13:22
Um the odd bully, but um I I I grew up in quite a quite a tough school too and but um we all seem to get on. Okay.
00:13:32
Yeah. I don't think anyone So when was this like in the 80s or the ' 90s? 80s.
00:13:36
Yeah. I don't think anyone sort of gets through unscathed e like everyone is
00:13:38
going to be subjected to some sort of bullying for something. Um yeah this lowlevel banter bullying call it
00:13:45
whatever whatever you want to. Um, okay. So, you you started at 15 in 1990. 95. Why have I got How old do you think I
00:13:56
am? Wonder what are you? 43 44. Why have I got 1990 in Darville? That's Yeah, 95 in Darville. Oh, 95 in
00:14:06
Darville. Okay. Um, do you remember that? That was your first race. Yes, I had four races that day. Um I think my
00:14:12
first one was a horse good commit and she bucked the jockey off this the start before but um she I think she ran about
00:14:19
fifth and then my second ride I got beat nose and I didn't I didn't ride a winner
00:14:22
for my first 17 rides. How nervous were you the first time your first proper race day? Oh I was nervous but you you
00:14:30
don't really know what's going on either. Um which you can be a bit naive
00:14:33
and and I I was had good bosses and people around me that train me up quite well. Yeah. There's a saying I really
00:14:40
like that um youth is wasted on the young. You have this sort of youthful like brashness or arrogance or ignorance
00:14:46
or whatever you want to call it. Yeah. Do you feel like that was the case with you? Oh, 100%. Right through my
00:14:50
apprentichip I thought. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, when did your apprentichip when did you leave school?
00:14:54
I left school the day I turned 15 and then 3 months later I rated my first race and then back back then you had to
00:15:01
do five years apprentichip and in October in 2000 I came out. Yeah. What does the apprenticeship
00:15:10
entail? Um you you you got to work during the day for your boss and um like like stable duties and um and stuff like
00:15:20
that. But when you come out you're on your own. You can do whatever you want.
00:15:23
Oh, okay. So you're um but you go the ultimate goal is to be a jockey. So you
00:15:26
do like to say track work in the morning. Yeah. And then st um stable duties like mcking stables out and Yeah.
00:15:33
tough apprenticeship. Eh, it is long hours. Um, yeah. Like what? I start start at 4:30 and um till 11:00 and then
00:15:42
go back at 2 till 5. That's that's what we used to do every day for 5 years.
00:15:46
Yeah. And and towards the end of it, this is when you were riding Melbourne Cup. Yeah. But I I used I used to spend
00:15:53
a lot of time in Australia, so they sent me over to ride in Australia. But so I I'd kind of work it out. I' ride at the
00:15:58
races enough and trials and so I didn't have to didn't have to go to do all the
00:16:03
stable work. Like would it have mattered if you didn't complete your your apprenticeship? Like if you're at the
00:16:08
level where you're riding Melbourne Cup horses before you finish your apprentichip, you're obviously, you
00:16:12
know, you're you're well on the way. You you have to you have to finish your
00:16:16
apprentichip. Okay. Yeah. Um so for you to get your license as a senior jockey, right? And your first one that was a
00:16:22
horse called Fairly Fairly Early. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Where was that? What
00:16:26
what are your recollections about that day? That was at Gisbon. Um is for my godfather Steven Orchard. He was
00:16:31
training for Thiago then and um he was one of my favorite horses in the stable too which was quite fitting.
00:16:37
Was that horse supposed to win? Um he he wasn't a great horse but he um end up
00:16:43
winning three or four races so handy. Yeah. And you said before that it was like 17 17 races before you had a win.
00:16:50
Um so that must have been incredibly satisfying for you. You Yeah. You must have been elated. Yeah, it was. It was
00:16:55
only a few weeks. I had four races my first day. So, um, and then probably another five the next day. So, it was
00:17:01
probably about my third race meeting. Okay. Yeah. Um, and 420 winners by the time your apprentichip finished at the
00:17:07
age of 20. Yeah. Was that is that is that a good amount? Like in in horse circles were people like Shopee. He's
00:17:14
he's he's good. Yeah. I think um only James McDonald and Michael Walker are
00:17:19
the only ones that have um done better than that. Yeah. Um Yeah. And do you have a favorite
00:17:25
horse? Uh, Imperatric is my favorite. Um, she was just so fast and um had had so much success on her. Won nine group
00:17:33
ones on her and um she she was um she was a champion in my eyes anyway. Yeah, these these will probably be some dumb
00:17:40
another set of dumb questions here. But um yeah, I'm intrigued about the um like
00:17:45
the jockey horse relationship. So because it's not a case of you just turning up to a race mate, them giving
00:17:50
you a horse and say, you know, you have quite a lot to do with each horse, right? Um, sometimes you've never ridden
00:17:55
the horse before. Um, oh, a lot of the times. Oh, really? Yeah. So, you just rock up and the trainer tells you what
00:18:02
it's like and everything like that and and you do a bit of form on it like how
00:18:05
it's trled or how it's raced in previous races. But, um, and nine nine times out
00:18:11
of 10 you rock up and never even touched the horse before. No [ __ ] way. I I assumed that it was
00:18:18
like a very special relationship between a horse and and a and a jockey. like you
00:18:21
you can sort of sense how they're feeling and you've done all the track work with them. Is that is that not the
00:18:26
what are you doing all the track work for at 4:30 in the morning if you're not
00:18:28
riding on the specific that's that's with um the stable I work with at Takal
00:18:32
um in Madame but um yeah but you can't you can't be everywhere where so you go
00:18:38
to Palmer North and you ride for different trainers you yeah go go to well anywhere really and there's just so
00:18:44
many different trainers and you can't really get yourself around to train train all their horses. Yeah, but surely
00:18:48
if there was like specific like horses that you were riding on a a lot of the time, like you and the horse would get
00:18:54
to know each other and you'd both perform better as a duo. Yeah. I got to get into the horse industry. You they've
00:19:00
been doing it all wrong. Yeah. I I get to know the horses that I work with at Tiaka. Um I know pretty much every
00:19:07
single one of them, but um yeah, but um other horses you you just rock up and jump on and see how you go. Mhm. And do
00:19:16
you as as a jockey, do you get emotional when like a horse that you've had a lot
00:19:19
to do with like gets unwell or gets injured or passes away? No, not really. May I got a little bit
00:19:27
emotional when Imperatric retired um only cuz I in the back of my mind I knew I wasn't far off retiring after
00:19:36
her. But um it's you probably get used to it when horses finish racing and um
00:19:42
or one gets hurt. It happens. It happens a little bit, but um you you just got to let it put in the
00:19:49
back of your mind and not really worry about it. Yeah. Actually, just Yeah. What you were saying before about
00:19:54
turning up to a race and riding a horse, I suppose, like if you're going to have
00:19:57
to whip a horse, it's probably easy to do it if it's a horse you don't know
00:20:00
rather than a horse that you've become quite close with. No, you just got that will to win.
00:20:06
Unless it's like you don't really that all just goes, right? Um I saw um a post
00:20:11
raised speech on YouTube where um yeah you you started crying or you were cracking up uh talking fondly about the
00:20:18
horse Melody Bell. Yeah I I had a lot of success on her. Um so she was the horse I I won every
00:20:28
single group one race on in New Zealand. So she was the the one that I got the last one on which I I hadn't won. So um
00:20:35
it was quite an emotional day to get to get them all done. Yeah. Oh, so so it was emotional. What? Because of the
00:20:42
because of the horse or just because you're like your own personal personal sort of sense of achievement. Yeah. Just
00:20:47
Yeah. The the own achievement and and you when when you're wasting the emotions come when you're losing weight
00:20:54
all the time, the emotions come a lot quicker. You get a little bit Yeah. Oh. Because you haven't eaten for like three
00:21:00
days. Dry. All right. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. What about horses that you um you
00:21:06
didn't like? Oh, there's a few any any one that bucks me off or something like
00:21:10
that going you don't really like them too much unless they're really fast. But
00:21:16
um there's not that many that you come across that you you just don't like. Um
00:21:21
usually at the races are a lot easier to ride and because they know they've got a
00:21:24
job to do and in a race they seem to be a lot easier. How do they know they've
00:21:28
got a job to do? That's what they're trained to do, right? And yeah, they
00:21:31
love it. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. There's um I'm sure these people won't be listening to
00:21:37
this podcast, but yeah, there are there are a lot of people that you know are anti- horse racing. Um you generally see
00:21:44
them come out every time there's an incident at the Melbourne Cup or something. Um yeah, what do what are
00:21:48
your thoughts on that? The horses the horses like at the level you're riding,
00:21:51
they're treated very well, eh? Oh, that they're treated like athletes. Um they
00:21:55
they get um they go on the treadmill, they get um baths and like Yeah. And they live
00:22:02
like kings. They get brushed every day and fed fed like when like kings as well. So, um I I I just wish those
00:22:10
people would come in and actually see how well they're looked after. Yeah. I
00:22:14
suppose it's just triggering for some people when you know you see a horse get
00:22:17
injured and then it's the curtain gets put up and it gets shot. Um what's the sort of emotion like in
00:22:23
your line of work are at the stables when something like that happens? I you see a lot of the the staff that work at
00:22:30
the stables, they look after that horse and that's their pride and joy and that
00:22:33
that's you really feel sorry for them because so as a jockey I I just turn up
00:22:37
and ride them in the mornings and then I go home but they look after the horse all day which is um it's quite sad when
00:22:43
you see one get hurt and and those people really suffer. What what about you? Have you had any bad injuries?
00:22:50
What's the worst accident you've had? You've been bugged off a horse and run
00:22:52
over by other horses? Um, I've broken a collarbone, a few shoulders, and um, a
00:22:58
few ribs and a sternum. Um, but touchwood, but I've been quite lucky um, over the years. And, um, I'm just got
00:23:07
those niggly little pains, but that's just from wear and tear. Compared to most jockeyies like with
00:23:13
your age and your experience. Yeah. Have you got off quite lightly? I've been
00:23:16
very lucky. Yeah. A few few of my mates have broken their backs and necks and Yeah. Really? Like so you've got some
00:23:23
friends that um like can no longer walk or I've I've got one guy I used to ride
00:23:28
with. He's he was riding a horse and it just stumbled and he went head first and
00:23:32
he's he's in a wheelchair and there's another good jockey in Hong Kong um Thai
00:23:37
England. He's Australian based but he had a horse knuckle over coming out of
00:23:42
the gates and um he's paralyzed as well. I I can't imagine many things more
00:23:47
terrifying than like riding a horse at your level and being like in a in a pack amongst other horses. Yeah, it only
00:23:54
takes one wrong move. If someone falls in front of you and there's nowhere really to go, you just go over top. And
00:24:00
it um if someone says it doesn't hurt, they're lying because it it does hurt.
00:24:05
Is is that why um is that why you made a point in your career being at the front
00:24:08
so there was no one in front of you that could at the front at the right time? Anyway, um uh uh what else we Oh, the
00:24:15
overseas stuff. So, yeah, you raced in Australia a little bit and um and Singapore, you said. What what are those
00:24:20
what are your reflections like on those um experiences? Um Singapore um was a great experience. Um it was beautiful
00:24:27
country to live in. Um the the racing back then was um was first class and had quite a lot of success there in some big
00:24:35
races and um Australia it's like a second home really now. like for a while they was flying over every weekend and
00:24:43
go over on Friday night then come back Saturday night. So it's um racing is pretty much like here.
00:24:50
Yeah. And I I you've mentioned before the weight thing a couple of times actually and um yeah. So let's let's get
00:24:55
into that and the nuances of that. I've actually had a guy on the um podcast
00:24:58
before called uh George Lockhart who's um Joseph Parker's trainer at the
00:25:02
moment. He's done lots of stuff over the years. Um he's known as like the world's
00:25:06
best weight cutter in fighting circles. worked with like Conor McGregor, Holly Holm, um the Furies, now Joseph Parker.
00:25:15
Um what does it entail for you? Is this something you have to do like almost every weekend? Uh yeah. Yeah. Pretty
00:25:22
much nearly most days of the week. Um so I go I put sweat like a sauna suit on and jackets and all that and go for a
00:25:30
walk or a run to to to sweat. And then every every night I jump in the hot bath and and sweat in there for a couple
00:25:37
hours. and the morning of the races do the same thing. Um, but you're just like
00:25:42
a sponge. You squeeze in all the sweat out and as soon as you have something to drink, you just go straight back on. And
00:25:48
in terms of in terms of diet and stuff during the week, yeah, you got to watch what you eat. Um, towards the end I got
00:25:54
a little bit slack and was enjoying probably too many beers and too much food, but only because my heart wasn't
00:26:00
really in it. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz it's I I struggle to understand like with this
00:26:05
guy George Lockhart like how a fighter can get to the point where they're carrying too much weight and where
00:26:10
they've got months and months in between each each fight. But um yeah, if you're
00:26:15
doing it like week in week out like you were that like you you were keeping yourself at a good weight. Did you just
00:26:22
have like one treat day a week and that was when you finished racing in the weekend or It was pretty much on a
00:26:26
Sunday you bar like a barbecue day and beers day. But um with the with the fighters that they weigh out like the
00:26:33
day before and they don't have to weigh back in at that weight. They they can
00:26:36
eat and drink whatever they want. So we we have to weigh out and then after the race weigh back in at this at that
00:26:42
weight again. So it it just goes you can't really have anything till the end
00:26:46
of the whole end of the day of racing. It's not a fun way to spend your 20s and
00:26:53
your 30s, is it? Yeah. If you really liked it would be the easiest job in the world. Yeah. Well, for me anyway. Um
00:27:02
there was one race I saw on online um the Caracillions where there's a crowd
00:27:06
chanting um there's only one OP Boston. Yeah. Do you like do you do you remember
00:27:10
that? Yeah, I do. I remember pulling up down the back street and you can just hear this chant and I was trying to work
00:27:15
out what what they were saying and the closer I got coming back it was you realized what they were saying and one
00:27:21
of the boys is like just stop and listen to this. You'll probably never ever see
00:27:25
this ever again. And um it was it was it was really cool actually and like that you had so many fans out there and
00:27:31
chanting your name like felt like an all really. Yeah. So the crack a million. So
00:27:36
that was that's a really big race. Yeah. This this 2-year-old race which is worth
00:27:40
a million and um and a three-y old race was worth a million on on the same night. Um and lucky enough had a lot of
00:27:46
success in those. Amazing. So that night when they were yelling out there's one
00:27:50
OP Boston, did you win them like the main the main the main race of the day? Yeah, I won both of them. Yeah. So wow.
00:27:55
Wow. Wow. Wow. It's been I won I think I've won the race five times. So, and
00:27:58
when you're racing, can you hear anything from the stands or from the the speakers or not? Really? Sometimes
00:28:04
sometimes you can hear the crowd, but um you kind of block that block all that out, but um you nine times out of 10,
00:28:10
you don't hear anything. Yeah. And that crowd um chanting your name. Yeah, that must be surreal. Yeah.
00:28:21
I don't know. It's you can't it's hard to explain like you're just sitting
00:28:24
there listening to them. But um that's makes that's what make what keeps you going when you when you hear
00:28:31
people like that yelling at your name yelling out your name in a good way and uh but uh yeah that's it's quite
00:28:38
exciting really. Has there been people yelling out your name in not a good way? Oh yeah you cop it all the time. Oh like
00:28:45
from who? Oh, people over the fence just telling you to give up. And a Australia
00:28:50
is probably the worst because they they love a punt over there and if if you stuff up, they give it to you. Oh. Oh,
00:28:57
so those guys in the stand, they obviously like they had had bet on the horse that you were riding. So they were
00:29:01
related. Yeah, they must been happy. Oh, is that right? Well, yeah. I suppose um
00:29:06
God, better to abuse the jockey than the horse, I suppose. The horse is not going
00:29:09
to listen really. Well, but did that sort of criticism hurt? like when you're out there and
00:29:14
you're doing your best and you you kind of just block it out. Um but you you get
00:29:19
people on social media message you and abusing you. I've had death threats um
00:29:26
and had to get escorted off the course and the police involved and they they found out where I lived and said they
00:29:32
were going to come and kill me and stuff like that. But they they found them. The
00:29:35
police found them after about 6 months. That's terrifying. It was at the time
00:29:41
because you you weren't sure if they're joking or not cuz nine times out of 10
00:29:45
you just like yeah whatever. And but when they when you find out they know where you live and everything they tell
00:29:50
you we know where you live and that scares you a little bit. Jesus. Where was that? It was after a
00:29:56
crack million race meeting. Yeah. Obviously not that one where you won. I didn't win that one. I won. Everyone
00:30:02
wanted to be mate that day. I won one of them but I got beat in the second one and they didn't like that. Wow. And um
00:30:08
yeah, I mean there's those guys in the stand, but like do do jockeyies have groupies?
00:30:14
Not not really. Um not that I know of. Um it's been be nothing like the All Blacks or anything like that. Like
00:30:23
sports stars like them more in the more in the um the spotlight. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um there's been a couple of
00:30:31
huge honors in your career. The uh 2023 King's birthday honors. What was that?
00:30:35
What what did you get in the Queen's birthday on sorry King's birthday honor
00:30:39
2023 Owen said him um yeah there was a bit of a shock when I got an email saying they've been
00:30:47
um being accepted like not accepted but um the king's honor um award and was
00:30:55
bloody nerve-wracking going up there and getting the medal and everything like that. Yeah. So how does that come about?
00:31:00
Does do do does someone nominate you or Yes, I think if someone nominates you and then
00:31:06
um then it takes takes them a few Oh, they they told me six months beforehand and I wasn't allowed to tell anybody and
00:31:14
um but it was so bloody nerve-wracking on the day. So, you you get told you're
00:31:19
not allowed to tell anyone. This is interesting. I've had so many so many people on the podcast that have um had
00:31:23
you know various um honors like this. Who did you tell? No one tells absolutely nobody. Oh, I know. you
00:31:29
taught it for your for your mates. It's like just don't say anything. And then um Oh yeah. Why was it
00:31:37
nerve-wracking? So you go to government house, do you? Yeah. Um well, I've never
00:31:42
I'm not really a out there kind of guy. I get bit quite shy and everything like
00:31:46
that. And um to receive something like that was um I was I've [ __ ] myself really.
00:31:54
Amazing. Yeah, we've been um chatting for maybe half an hour now, and that's
00:31:58
um definitely the impression I get about you. Like, yeah, you're not I don't
00:32:02
know. I I don't know what I expected. I probably expected someone more I don't
00:32:07
know. I don't know. Maybe more more more brash, more more arrogant, more cocky.
00:32:12
No, I've never been like that. And um it's just something I I don't enjoy
00:32:20
seeing real cocky like jockeyies come along and you're like, just calm down.
00:32:24
this. You got to treat everyone the same, you know, like Yeah. You got to tell them no one likes a cocky job. Were
00:32:30
you Were you cocky when you were younger, though? No, I was very I'm very shy. Um that's probably why I'm quite
00:32:36
shy now. So, um if you got cocky when I was growing up, the old man would put you back in
00:32:42
the place in your place straight away. But did did you ever have like a co like a cocky phase or a phase where where you
00:32:47
know you realize you were good or you start to get high on your own supply? you know, you're winning these races,
00:32:52
everyone's telling you how awesome you are. Um, did it ever get to your head?
00:32:57
Not that I know of. Some people might say I might have been a little bit, but um I've always tried to keep um quite
00:33:03
humble and Yeah. So, um my mind I think no, not at all. A lot of people said to me, you've always been the same from day
00:33:10
one. When you hear that, that must be incredibly satisfying. I think that's a
00:33:15
huge compliment. Eh, it is cool cuz I I I don't want to be I don't like talking
00:33:20
about myself really. So, um, no, it's pretty cool when someone does say that
00:33:22
to you. Yeah. And the, um, in 2023, same year as the King's birthday honors, um,
00:33:26
you were inducted into the racing hall of fame. What does that mean? It's, um,
00:33:32
the racing industry, um, recognize you for your achievements. And, um, that's
00:33:37
probably one thing that I really wanted to to to get um, just be acknowledged for what I've done in the in the saddle.
00:33:45
Um and that was um that that's I got quite emotional when um accepting that. Did you? Yeah.
00:33:53
Started tearing up and choking up and um but um had to sit put my head down for a
00:33:59
bit, pull myself together, but uh no, it was um that's that's probably the
00:34:03
highest sign I I thought I've had. Yeah. Well, was was it a surprise or was it
00:34:07
just like standing up there in front of your peers and stuff that made you emotional? Yeah, it was a bit. And
00:34:12
um and again, they they told me six months before and I wasn't allowed to tell anyone about that either. Heard you
00:34:18
tell a couple of notes. You're terrible with secrets. But you think you're you're ready for
00:34:26
it, but uh not when you get up onto the stage. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, who like who were
00:34:32
you looking at in the room? Like were there some faces you saw that made you emotional or No, it's just I try not to
00:34:38
look at anyone like went when you when you watch the um the footage and people talking about you and everything like
00:34:45
that and see and the good horses you've ridden um on on the TV watching it beforehand that starts starts to get you
00:34:52
going straight away. Would you describe yourself as quite an emotional guy? Not really. Um just just at certain
00:35:00
times. Yeah. I mean I'm usually pretty chilled. And like just in reflection of your
00:35:05
career like what would you say um are the best and worst things about being a jockey? Worst I'd say must be the weight
00:35:10
cutting which we've sort of established just how arduous that is. Oh 100% the
00:35:13
worst is pretty much why I I retired. Um but there's no nothing better than riding a winner. It doesn't really
00:35:21
matter if it's a a maiden win for $5,000 or a $3 million race. It's you can be
00:35:29
down and out and having a bad day as soon as you get that winner just picks you straight back up.
00:35:34
Yeah. And what about the people? Um, I've met a lot of great people, a lot of
00:35:39
close friends. Um, I've pretty much been in it since I was 14. So, um, pretty much all my
00:35:45
friends are are racing people. And, um, yeah, I've got some really close mates.
00:35:51
Oh, yeah. Oh. Um, your first wife, she was a jockey. Sam Sprat. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Did Do you guys ever race each
00:35:57
other? Oh, all the time. Really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We've raced with each other
00:36:03
pretty much all all the way through. Yeah. How'd that work? Um M's pretty good actually. We we get
00:36:09
on we get on quite well. Um and she's she's going really really well at the
00:36:12
moment. Is she still writing? Yeah, she is. Yeah, she's um one of our leading
00:36:17
writers. Yeah. How long how long were you guys married for? Oh, only a couple of years. We've we've got a a son Cody.
00:36:24
He's he's 19. Yeah. Oh, so Michelle that was ages ago. Ago. Yeah. Oh. Oh. So it
00:36:30
wasn't Yeah. It wasn't weird when you were like racing each other going headtohead like it wasn't like um at
00:36:34
home the day before you you have to stay out out of each other's space and No,
00:36:38
not really. It's um you just go there and do your job. Yeah, you you get to know all the jockeyies quite well cuz
00:36:44
you you spend a lot of time with them in the jockeyies room and um give each other a bit of [ __ ] and stuff like that.
00:36:49
But uh everyone just not not out there to to try and cause an accident or anything
00:36:55
like that. So people they do respect you. M she's um you sorry you can tell me tell me to [ __ ] off if you don't want
00:37:02
to answer this but um how do you how do you get married and it only lasts two years probably a little bit too young I
00:37:12
think and yeah I don't really want to answer it I reckon I could probably guess okay
00:37:20
we'll let that one slide um yeah yeah yeah yeah um on you you've been married
00:37:26
yeah according to Wikipedia, you've um you got married uh and you your marriage
00:37:31
broke up like in 20 2024 last year. That was a seven-year one. Yes. So, two marriages down now. Yeah. How's how's
00:37:38
that? Is it hard? Oh, it's very hard. Yeah. Um it's um it's something I don't really like to
00:37:47
talk about and um because it's still very new. So, um we're just still trying
00:37:52
to work through the process of that. Yeah. Yeah. I've um yeah had a failed marriage myself and it it it [ __ ]
00:37:58
sucks. It's hard. Yeah. Well, you have to do it over the ra on the radio too.
00:38:04
Yeah. Yeah. In terms of like um adversities that you've been through like cuz no one no one gets to no one no
00:38:10
one gets to the privilege of being in their sort of early to mid-40s without going through some adversity. Was that
00:38:15
be some of the biggest the relationship stuff or is there other stuff? Um I think that's that's probably the
00:38:20
biggest. Um and like you get a bit of depression and um from from cutting weight and um and things aren't going
00:38:30
right. Right. But um this I still get help now to go and talk to someone to try and get me back
00:38:38
on track. Yeah. Do you Yeah. I was going to ask I was going to ask about your um
00:38:41
your mental health. That's something I like to discuss with um my guests. Yeah.
00:38:45
In terms of depression and stuff. Yeah. Just um Yeah. You've experienced that?
00:38:50
Oh yeah, for sure. It's it's not something you can just say, "Oh, you'll
00:38:53
be right." Because it's you're you're not. And I think the best thing is to go
00:38:57
and talk to somebody and um get things put into place and um take and try and take the right steps. When did you first
00:39:04
start um getting some counseling? I've I've gone through stages, but I've I've
00:39:09
been getting counseling the last uh probably six months. Yeah. How do you find that helpful? Um, yeah. And the
00:39:16
person I go to has nothing to do with racing and um does didn't know who I who
00:39:21
I am or anything like that. So, which is good. Yes. I was the age you are now. I
00:39:25
was probably about that same age when I went to a therapist for the first time and um I I found it really really good
00:39:30
and uh I'd been um I should have done it years earlier and I I don't know why I
00:39:34
kept on putting it off but um you know you get to go there and you sit down and you sort of talk about yourself for an
00:39:39
hour and I thought it was going to be weird and I thought I I don't know where
00:39:42
to start. Um but you realize they're the professional and they sort of take care
00:39:45
of it for you. It's it's bloody great. That's exactly how I felt. Um and
00:39:50
there's a lot of lot of um a lot of the boys go and see um sports psychiatrists
00:39:55
as well and um and I think that really helps and there's um people in the New
00:40:00
Zealand racing that um they put that in place as well for for the jockeyies to go and reach out. Yeah. How Yeah. How
00:40:06
are you today from a mental health perspective? You feeling good? I'm good. Yeah. Good as gold. um feel like I got a
00:40:12
bit of pressure off off my shoulders with without having to lose weight and can eat and drink whatever I want at the
00:40:16
moment. So, I feel really good. Yeah. Yeah, that's good because I suppose it
00:40:22
could it could go two ways. E like you could feel like um a sense of loss like even though it's your decision to retire
00:40:28
that there's this um this hole in your life or this gap um which could make you
00:40:32
even you more depressed and that's something to deal with. But um I'm pleased you're feeling the other way.
00:40:37
Yeah. And um I think the first few days when I announced it was the hardest part. But um when you come to reality,
00:40:43
you're like, I think I did do the right decision. So why were the first few days
00:40:47
the hardest part? Because you don't know. I wasn't sure what was next. I
00:40:50
didn't know how to feel. I felt emotional and then you'd see something on TV tributes and well you read
00:40:56
something then you like have I done the right thing? But um I I deep down I really think I have. Yeah. I suppose
00:41:05
it's so final. So, how how did you make that announcement? So, you it all seems
00:41:08
very sudden. So, you went for you were going for a run on Christmas Day, then on Boxing Day, it's in the papers. Do
00:41:14
you just ring like a journalist or how do you um So, my agent is um he's a journalist. Um like it was it was the
00:41:24
27th when I announced it. Um cuz I rode rode on Boxing Day and then I was driving home and I was thinking about it
00:41:31
the whole time the whole way home and then I went had a a meeting with the bosses the next morning and just said
00:41:37
off I've had enough. And um we had to wait and then put the announcement out
00:41:42
the next afternoon and um so my my agent wrote something for me to to put on X. Yeah. And once it's out there, it just
00:41:51
feels so, I suppose, final and permanent. Yeah, it it was. But then then the phone started ringing and um I
00:41:58
got hundreds of texts and stuff like that and um then you get a few interviews on the
00:42:05
radio and stuff like that. But um it was it was quite emotional really. M yeah I I suppose it's just um one of
00:42:13
those one of those moments you have in your career when you re just realize uh you what you've done and the impact
00:42:19
you've had on people. Yeah, it's um you you don't realize at the time until you,
00:42:24
as I said, you you see all these tributes to you on and they they do a short clip on the uh the track side and
00:42:32
people talking about you and um how good they thought you were and stuff like that. And and like you wouldn't be human
00:42:40
human if you didn't start tearing up a little bit. Yeah. Now that you're no longer riding,
00:42:45
what will you what will your relationship with gambling be be like? Like are you do you do you feel like you
00:42:50
you're good at picking horses or knowing what you know are you like I'd never go
00:42:54
near it. Um I'm I've never been a big gambler. Um I don't like don't like
00:42:59
losing money too much. Um but um I I But if you've got the knowledge you've got
00:43:04
like do do you feel like you could make money or is it like is it really just a bit of a lottery sometimes? I I think
00:43:10
some people are good at it. Um I I kind of know the horses that I'm working with. Um,
00:43:16
but in saying that, um, it's it's not something I'd like to get into. Um, what
00:43:22
about regrets? Regrets career and and otherwise. Um, I don't have many regrets in my
00:43:32
writing career. Maybe probably could have been a bit little bit more disciplined with um with my weight um
00:43:39
and would made it a lot easier. But um no, I just after everything that's gone on over the last six 12 to 6
00:43:47
months, I just just want to try and be a better person really. Yeah, I I try and
00:43:52
do that every day. Every day just try and be a little bit better than before. And you know, you're always going to
00:43:56
[ __ ] up, aren't you? But that's part of I suppose the human experience. Um
00:44:01
what's your what's your inner voice like when you're alone? How do you talk to
00:44:04
yourself? Are you quite kind? Yeah. I I Yeah. Like like you mean like do I do I punish myself? Yeah. You beat
00:44:14
yourself up or you quite you generally quite compassionate to yourself? Um usually pretty good. I if
00:44:21
um you have your ups and downs like anybody, but um I usually try and keep myself pretty cool. Yeah. So when when
00:44:28
you're racing, if you have a day where you know that you've you haven't done as
00:44:31
well as what you could have to the OP Boston standards, um yeah, are you okay with that? You just draw a line in the
00:44:38
sand and you know get on with your night. Well, you do with every day is going to be different,
00:44:44
isn't it? For being a jockey, you can't win everything. So you got to get used
00:44:48
to to to losing. And what about um vulnerability? Like it's a kind of a buzz word at the
00:44:53
moment. Um, and yeah, I'm a I'm a little bit older than you, but um, yeah, we
00:44:58
when we were kids, like you you you'd never sort of talk about your feelings
00:45:01
or anything. It just wasn't something that was done. Um, you know, it was sort
00:45:04
of the, you know, drink a cup of concrete and harden up sort of, uh, mentality. And we know now that, um,
00:45:09
yeah, if anything, vulnerability is a strength rather than a weakness. And it's good to talk about these things.
00:45:14
Now, um, we've established that you're good at talking to your mates when
00:45:17
you've got like a a king's birthday honor coming up. Are you good at are you
00:45:21
good at talking to your Have you got a circle of friends that that you can talk to about like serious stuff? Probably
00:45:27
probably only two or three. Yeah. Um but I my problem is I I probably lock things up and
00:45:37
uh but I don't know I bottle bottle things really and then and try and forget about them. But I think as as you
00:45:47
start going to the counseling and all thing and they teach you ways to work through that.
00:45:54
Yeah, it's hard. E, like I'm I'm um I'm probably guilty of that as well. You got
00:45:58
friends and they'll say, "No, really, how are you?" And I'll be like, "Yeah,
00:46:01
no, all good." It's it's hard though. and you know that vulnerability is a
00:46:06
good thing and you know that it's gonna make you feel better to talk about this
00:46:08
stuff, but it's just it's just hard to rip that band-aid off and it's just some
00:46:12
you're just not brought up like that. I wasn't anyway. So, yeah. Yeah. But um
00:46:16
Oh, it's good that you've got an inner circle that you can talk to with this
00:46:19
stuff. Yeah, I've got a few um close mates and that um jockeyies and ex jockeyies as well and and I've lucky
00:46:25
I've got my godfather Steven Orchard just lives around the corner and can always go to him for a chat. Yeah. What
00:46:32
would you say your best and worst habits are? probably worst habits probably having a
00:46:40
too many beers, but um my my best habits um I I don't know. I always try and be
00:46:47
happy and be kind to people. They are great habits. It's really cool. Um what about your your recent ex-wife?
00:46:55
What would you say your best and worst habits are? Oh god. Okay, let's Yeah, we'll leave that one.
00:47:02
Um yeah, looking back on your career, what do you what do you think you're most proud of? I I think you're proud of
00:47:07
um being in the Hall of Fame and um getting a King's Honor and and being one
00:47:13
of the best jockeyies New Zealand's ever had really. Um had so much success and
00:47:18
at the highest level, which is um that's what I'm proud of. Yeah. Are you you worried now that
00:47:24
whatever the next chapter of your life brings, it won't bring you the same sort
00:47:27
of um like adrenaline or the same sort of you know highs that you've experienced? Yeah, definitely. Yeah, you
00:47:35
it's never going to have those highs ever again. So, um but if if I can get into something into
00:47:42
horse racing like that competitive edge without being a jockey, um I definitely look at it like as in training or
00:47:50
something like that. Yeah. What do you think the future will bring? Have you got any sort of idea? You must be just
00:47:53
at that stage now. Um this is what I I'm just projecting here. This is what I was
00:47:58
like when I was you left radio. It was like you bounce around a bunch of ideas. Um and some of them you think are really
00:48:03
good and then you just follow down a different path. But yeah, what what are the sort of ideas that you're bouncing
00:48:08
around at the moment? Um I'm going to have a meeting with um my big boss on Monday um and to look talk about the
00:48:16
future and um he's been a great mentor to me since I was 14. So, we have have have a chat and see
00:48:23
where the next step is. But, um, in all honestly, I had honestly had no idea. Um, just just waiting for the dust to
00:48:31
settle a little bit and something will pop up. What have you been eating in the last couple of weeks? Pretty much
00:48:36
anything I could. No, but in terms of like like bad [ __ ] that you've um you deprived yourself
00:48:42
from like largely over the last 30 odd years, like what have you just been leaning into the last couple of weeks?
00:48:48
Oh, it's just just having a meal every night, which is which is the best thing.
00:48:53
Yeah. Um and and have lunch or something like that without feeling guilty. So, just just living normal really. Yeah. Is
00:49:02
it like a constant state of feeling guilty or feeling, you know, just self-conscious and feeling like you're
00:49:07
not doing enough in terms of your weight? Well, you always worried about whatever you eat, you've always got to
00:49:12
take that back off um within a day or two. So, and that's why you got to really keep an eye on what what what you
00:49:18
take in cuz you know you have to sweat that all out. It's not a career for the faint, is it?
00:49:26
No, you got to be pretty strong minded. And um it that's that's pretty much what
00:49:32
ended my career after 30 years. I just got sick of it. I can sort of understand that now. Like
00:49:38
when I read the announcement just after Christmas, I it like it just didn't make
00:49:42
sense to me. Like, you know, here you are. you're still quite young on the big
00:49:45
scheme of things. You could keep riding for many more years if you wanted to. Um, sitting down with you today, like
00:49:50
hearing about the weight stuff, it makes perfect sense. What would what would you
00:49:54
say say like a young kid came to you um and said they wanted to be a jockey? Like could you look them in the eye in
00:50:02
good faith and say, "Yeah, do it. It's great." I mean, it's been really good for you,
00:50:06
right? Yeah. If if you're small enough, it's it's it's a perfect job if if you
00:50:11
have a lot of success at it. Um but you just got to be disciplined and um if you're a little bit bigger naturally
00:50:18
you're going to grow anyway because you start when you're so young when you hit
00:50:20
your 20s you start filling out a little bit. So um it it's given me a lot of pleasure
00:50:27
over the years and um it's been really good to me the game. In terms of legacy,
00:50:32
how how would you like to be remembered in horse racing circles? um like to be remembered as
00:50:38
um one of the legends of New Zealand racing. Really better than Lanc Sullivan. More group
00:50:45
ones anyway. Way more. Like so many 31 more. [ __ ] He must be pissed about that. But he's he,
00:50:53
you know, he's got way more commercial properties than you. So there's that.
00:50:56
He's got a nice big farm as well. Nice big farm. Hey um OP, this has been great
00:51:00
today, mate. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Um yeah. Yeah. you still feeling nervous or are you
00:51:06
quite relaxed? I'm still I'm still sweating, but um no, it's just something
00:51:11
I'm just not used to. But I'm I'm actually glad I um came in. Well, I'm
00:51:16
glad you did, too. Absolute New Zealand of the New Zealand, absolute legend of the New Zealand horse racing industry,
00:51:22
Hall of Famer, King's Birthday Honors, uh 99 Group One wins, and now a guest on
00:51:28
the Domy podcast. Now, thanks for having me. Did you tell any of your mates you were coming on this today, or you keep
00:51:33
this a quiet? No, I told I told a few of the boys. Hey, you're a legend, mate.
00:51:37
Thank you so much for your time. Thanks for having me. Cheers.