Latest News

By Ray Hickson

There’ll be a familiar feel to jockey Dan Beasley’s return to Australian racing at Wagga Wagga on Thursday, after an over seven year absence, as he rides for his first boss, a couple of close friends, and a young trainer he says has a big future.

Jockey Dan Beasley is back in action at Wagga on Thursday. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

And he could make a surprise appearance at Rosehill on Saturday with a potential TAB Highway ride.

Beasley, best known locally for his association with superstar Grand Armee, is deliberately making a low key resumption having settled his family in the Riverina after finishing up in Singapore in November.

Ultimately Beasley, now 47, is likely to join the training ranks one day but after a visit home in June, his first trip back since Covid struck, last year he decided he still has the fire to ride and is happy doing that for now.

“I’ve seen a lot of people come back from overseas and I think where they find it hard is they put their expectations too high,’’ Beasley said.

“One thing about racing in Australia is there’s so much opportunity and it’s about finding your spot.

“The reality is you’re probably not going to step back to where you left off straight away but if you keep your goals achievable you never know where this game can take you.”

Beasley first left Sydney in 2007 for Singapore and he spent eight years there establishing himself as one of the leading riders before having his license revoked in 2015.

He spent a lot of that year trying to get re-established in Sydney before heading back to Singapore where the past seven years have been a mix of riding and, after retiring for three and a half years, a role as assistant trainer to Dan Meagher.

He feels in the last couple of years of his time in Singapore he produced some of his best riding, particularly with his associations with Singapore stars War Affair and Lim’s Kosciuszko, and could easily have headed straight back to Sydney.

But coming home wasn't about chasing Group 1s or a desire to prove any points.

“The whole point of the move was to come back and be close to family so Wagga was always going to be the place, otherwise I would probably have stayed in Singapore,’’ he said.

“Mum and Dad are down here and I have two sisters and a brother in Wagga.

“I’ve just come home and been fairly low profile. Enjoyed Christmas with the family, no one had a number or way of contacting me.

“I’ve always kept contact with Tim Donnelly, he’s been a good friend for a long time. He helped me back in 2015 so that was the logical place to start again.”

Donnelly provides Beasley with the first and last of his five rides at Wagga – County Kilkenny in the Celebrate Australia Day @ MTC Plate (1200m) and Participator in the Jupiter Motors Handicap (1200m).

He’s very aware that the Southern Districts horses have been strong in the past couple of years and takes plenty of interest in how Participator performs wary he’s long been thought of as a Country Championships prospect.

“Participator is a nice horse and it’ll be interesting to see how he goes,’’ Beasley said.

Dan Beasley and superstar Grand Armee back in 2005. (Pic: Bradley Photos).

“He might be on a Country Championships path, he was a bit disappointing last time but if he found his old form he’d run well.

“Last year the Country Championships was won by a horse from Wagga (Another One) and The Kosciuszko was won by a horse from Corowa (Front Page), so they’re down around this area you just have to find them and get on one.”

He’ll also ride for Donna Scott on Siasha Jewel in the Sports Bar Plus Handicap (1600m), reunite with his first master Peter Maher on Whitehart in the Iron Jack Plate (1100m) and ride I Am Richenuff for Darrell Burnet in the Lime Leaf Catering Handicap (1800m).

He said he was impressed with Burnet having met the 26-year-old trainer on his reconnaissance visit in the winter.

Burnet trains promising galloper Supido Beauty who Beasley will ride if he decides to send her to Saturday's TAB Highway at Rosehill instead of running at Wagga.

“I came back in June and had a good look around and if I was a bit more comfortable at that stage I probably would have just come back and trained,’’ he said.

“I thought riding was probably a better option to get a feel for the area and I still enjoy it.

“I’m still pretty fit and I’m light, and still riding pretty well I thought. If I didn’t feel I couldn’t be competitive I wouldn’t be doing it.

“I’d be pretty confident whatever level I got the opportunity at I’ll make the most of it.”

All the fields, form and replays for Thursday's Wagga meeting