Champion jockey Jeff Lloyd has bagged over 5,000 wins worldwide, but the Vodacom Durban July has always eluded him. It did so again yesterday in his final ride in this premier race.
At 57, he finished second yesterday on Made to Conquer, behind winner Do It Again, ridden by Anton Marcus. It was Lloyd's best finish in 26 July rides, improving on his 11 third-place finishes in the past.
Lloyd, who moved to Australia 11 years ago, told the Sunday Times on the eve of the big race that it was his last chance and "my last ride in the July". He returned to riding after recovering from a stroke five years ago, and recently celebrated the 43rd anniversary of his first ride.
"I started at the jockey academy at the age of 14," he said. "I will still ride for a bit longer, not sure how long."
Lloyd, who was crowned Queensland's champion jockey for the 2015-16 season, said he went into every race hoping to do his best.
In his preparations for this year's July, he shed 1kg since arriving in Durban a week ago, and weighed in at 52.5kg. In the jockey world being a flyweight is said to secure optimum performance. Legendary British jockey Lester Piggott was known to be ruthless in maintaining his slight frame.
"A typical story insists that [Piggott's] breakfast was a cigar and a cough - and that he ate hardly at all," the Guardian reported.
Piggott, 82, told the paper: "It did feel like a battle. But if we wanted to ride, we had to be low. It wasn't easy but we were all in the same boat because at that time the weights were so much lower."
Lloyd counts himself lucky because he has never had to battle the bulge.
"I don't follow a diet but I do eat correctly. It's just a habit I've had for more than 30 years. I don't eat certain foods. I am a naturally small guy. But I am very conscious of what I eat.
"Sometimes when I have no important rides coming I treat myself to something I don't usually eat. But I try and stay away from cakes, white bread, biscuits; just the normal things that are heavy."
His favourites foods comprise a "little bit of everything", and these include steak, chicken and fish. He conceded that younger jockeys did feel pressure to be at the best body weight.
"The lighter they can ride, the more horses in a race they can choose between. If you're heavy, you don't have much of a choice.
"The lighter you can keep yourself, the better. But in saying that, you can't kill yourself just to be an extra kilo or two lighter.
"I've never done gym work, played squash or run. I ride a lot - and that's plenty of fitness to keep me going."..