Lloyd drops out of Kranji
Jaden Lloyd rode at his last meeting at Kranji on April 21, after he decided to cut short his five-month Singapore stint.
Licensed since Jan 22, the Australian jockey, who took his first Kranji rides on Feb 11, was meant to see out his term until June 22.
But the 21-year-old said the low frequency of one meeting a week had been working against him, especially his riding weight.
Homesickness and a record of three winners in 49 rides also had some bearing on moving his last day forward to the EW Barker Trophy meeting, which coincided with his younger brother Zac’s cameo visit.
“Racing once a week was not enough for me, and getting suspended (one day for careless riding aboard Ben’s Champion) made it worse. It did not help my weight,” said Lloyd, whose father is the legendary jockey Jeff Lloyd.
“I was here by myself, it got a bit boring whereas I had a lot of mates back home.
“With so many jockeys riding here now, it’s also become harder to get rides.
“I enjoyed racing here, it was a great experience, even if I wished I had more winners. It has improved me as a rider.”
The one factor that many overseas hoops say sharpen them up is the more frantic speed from the get-go, and Lloyd was no different.
“We have to be a lot more positive here, whereas the pace is more relaxed back home,” he said.
“I have no doubt this will put me in good stead for my future career.”
Pulling the pin on Kranji is not the only change to Lloyd’s career path. While last based in Queensland, he is switching down south to his brother’s backyard.
“I’m moving to Sydney where I’ll ride as a freelancer,” said Lloyd, who flew back to Australia after the races.
“My dad is driving up from Brisbane to bring my stuff over.”
Lloyd opened his account on only his fourth ride on the Daniel Meagher-trained Pacific Beauty at his first day at the office. His two other wins came on the same horse, Otahuhu, for Donna Logan.
On April 13, he was also fined $1,000 twice for not riding to the line when in contention for fifth place in two races.
Michael Lee
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