Few riders past or present epitomise the saying ‘jockeys are made of tough stuff’ more than Jamie Moore.
With a broken bone list totalling 29, Moore’s time in the saddle was regularly interrupted by setbacks.
The final of those 29 serious injuries, a fracture of his T7 vertebra in a fall at Fontwell, would eventually lead Moore to retire from race riding earlier this year at the age of 39.
Despite not signing off ‘on his terms’, Moore can now look back with pride on a career that included 968 winners from over 8,000 rides and featured some brilliant horses such as Sire De Grugy.
Joining Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan on episode 3 of Unbridled, in association with BoyleSports, Moore said: “I’m still very busy but I do miss the racing a heck of a lot. It’s the boys in the weighing room and I miss being competitive.
“I wanted to give it another year and go out on my terms but I’m one of the lucky ones because I’m still able to do what I need to do in life.”
Moore receives his trophy after victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase
Reflecting on that heavy fall at Fontwell last November, Moore said: “I was lying on the floor and you do think straight away that you’re missing your ride in the next which had a chance.
“There is a bigger picture but you don’t always know that until you finish race riding because you are only thinking of the next thing.
“But when I was smashed up at Fontwell, it was later in my career and I’d had countless injuries before that so you know how to deal with it a lot better.
“When I broke my leg later in my career I was in a cast cycling on a static bike after 10 days and when I broke my neck I was trying to do press-ups after two weeks in the neck brace.”
‘Kennedy is like Messi and Elliott’s best player is out of action’
Ireland’s champion jumps jockey Jack Kennedy, who is only 25-years-old, is another who knows all too well the dangers of the sport, breaking his leg for a sixth time last Saturday.
Moore said: “He is the most talented lad, or kid even, and what he’s gone through with his leg injuries – I really feel so sorry for him.
“He’s a phenomenal jockey and he’s really having no luck.
“You can say: ‘Is there a reason it keeps happening?’ But when you’re hitting the ground at 30-35mph you’re going to break things if you land awkwardly.”
Jack Kennedy is facing another spell on the sidelines after breaking his leg for the sixth time
Brennan, who was able to retire on his own terms at Cheltenham in April, also sent his best wishes to Kennedy and said it is a huge blow for trainer Gordon Elliott to lose his stable jockey once again.
“It’s unbelievable what Jack is going through, mentally this is the worst of all,” Brennan said.
“If you’re Gordon Elliott, you’ve got a Lionel Messi there. His team will carry on but his best player is out of action.
“Lads like that are not irreplaceable but close to it.”
