Frank's Back on Track for the Love of the Game

Veteran jockey Frank Edwards is part of that old school breed in racing whose love for the game compels them to keep going.

Edwards, at age 60, is on the comeback path from a horrific fall in Mareeba in September that left him in intensive care for a week.

Most would have called it a day, glad to have survived largely intact.

But not Frank.

The affable hoop, who has been based in Townsville since 2001 and a constant fixture of northern racing for almost four decades, will continue his gradual return to race riding at Cluden tomorrow.

Restricted to three rides per meeting in the initial stages of his return, he will have just one ride.

Tablelands trainer Alex Malliff has stuck firm and booked him for the mount on the speedy Thumani in the Ladbrokes Bet Ticker BM 58 (1000m).

Edwards has amassed 1404 winners since his career started as an apprentice for trainer Darrell Sams in Brisbane in 1982.

He ranks as one of the oldest jockeys still race riding in the State behind the ageless Mt Isa legend Keith Balard, 70. Peter Cullen in Townsville is a year older than Edwards and still holds a license.

“I nearly didn’t make it to my 60th. I turned 60 on the 20th of September and the fall happened on the 2nd,” Edwards said.

“I was behind the leaders and angling out around the heels of the horse in front. I thought it would keep going forward but it didn’t, I just misjudged it, clipped heels and went down.

“The paramedics took me to Mareeba hospital and discovered my injuries were a bit serious and they choppered me down to Cairns. 

“I had seven fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and two fractures of the top of my right femur.

“I had to stay in ICU for a week and then they decided to send me down to Townsville. 

“I spent a few more days in hospital before they released me and the long road to recovery began.”

The youthful looking Edwards has been on a tortuous rehabilitation ever since, a healthy diet and countless hours of physio and exercise.

But coming back after such a bad fall at 60 is part of that tough breed thing that sometimes defies the logical thinking of outsiders. 

He’s coming back knowing that no one is owed anything in the racing game.

Five or so years ago his opportunities had dried up. Few rides were coming his way and when they did they were at the non-TAB fixtures.

He admitted he considered retirement. 

But racing’s fickle finger of fate turned his way.

A burst of winners with trainer Graham Hughes got him going again.

It led to an association with highly respected trainer Ricky Lidwig who had relocated to the Atherton Tablelands from south-east Queensland.

“I remember that period. It was a low point in my career, I wasn’t getting any support, not that I expected any – there’s a million jockeys riding,” Edwards said.

“There’s no reason why you should get any special favours. The thought crossed my mind then that it might be time to do something else. But things turned around and I ended up riding a lot of winners and here I am.

“I had a good run with Graham initially and then had a lot of success with Ricky who put some faith in me.

“I think with Ricky our strike rate together is around 40% – it’s quite phenomenal actually.

“We won six straight with Bank Bank Bank before he was sold to Hong Kong. He won his fourth race at Happy Valley last week.

“I had 10 rides on Tycoon Thunder for nine wins and a fourth.

“I’ve had a lot of success with him (Ricky), even with trainers like Ralphy Baker, he’s probably the bloke I’ve ridden the most winners for. Rode of lot for Olivia Cairns too.

“I’ve always wanted to hang my boots up at 65 or 66. I was concerned that this fall might have brought on my retirement but I’m glad to say that everything is good now.

“Once the weeks went by and the date of my return came up and I had my first rides in Townsville a few weeks ago there were no concerns for me.

“It was as if I hadn’t been away from it.

“But I’ve had to work at it. I’ve had a great team around me at No Boundaries exercise physiology and Performance Physio.

“They’ve worked me very hard – I’d describe them as sadists,” he laughed.”

Edwards is thankful for his long career which was stifled by weight in his apprentice days in Brisbane before a shift north to chase better opportunities in 1986.

There isn’t a country cup the jockey, a tall man in his field, hasn’t won in the far north.

At last count he’s racked up 312 winners in Townsville and 506 in Cairns where he was based for 14 years.

Tomorrow’s Cluden card is just his third race meeting back since February 10, but the start of a second coming for the hoop who says he has a good five years of riding ahead.

Pictured: Jockey Frank Edwards after one of his wins on the talented Bank Bank Bank with trainer and big supporter Ricky Ludwig. Edwards will continue his comeback from injury at Cluden Park tomorrow.

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