Fallen star climbs back up
Greatest win is over addiction
THREE months after Tasmanian jockey Jason Maskiell made the move to Melbourne in 2009 he was being touted as a potential star.
At the end of the 2009-10 season he was one of the most sought-after riders, having ridden 91 winners with a strike rate of 23 per cent. The whiz kid from Longford was on his way, with strong links to top trainers and high-profile owners.
But in 2012 he lost his way and just over two years ago Maskiell was back in Tasmania and fighting for his life.
Maskiell was hooked on methamphetamine and with that came a ban from racing stewards who, after his second offence, told him he wasn’t welcome back until he could prove he had cleaned up his act.
Maskiell returned to Tasmania to try to combat the addiction but failed miserably.
His life had reached the point where he felt the need to possess firearms for protection and he was extremely wary of strangers who came knocking at his door.
“It got to the stage where I would spend each day wishing I had access to a gun in case some very scary people came looking for me. I still shudder just thinking about it,” he said.
Despite all of this Maskiell still had support from family and friends who refused to give up on him and it was that love and strength that reached into his dark place and brought him back into the light.
“I don’t think I would have survived it had it not been for my immediate family and a few very good friends,” he said.
“I also had a counsellor, Lisa Stevens from Melbourne, who was fantastic through it all and I still speak to her because my recovery is ongoing.
“Matthew Stringer, who owns the Queen’s Arms Hotel in Longford, has been a great help because he gave me a job and talked me through some rough spots when I needed it and Kim Elliott [Tasracing chief operations officer] has been a really good mentor.”
Maskiell emerged from the ordeal with a new take on life and a determination to realise his potential. He regained his jockey’s licence last year and began riding at the start of this racing season in August, slowly gaining the confidence of Tasmanian trainers and owners.
His double on Tiesto and Hellova Street in feature races in Launceston last Wednesday took his season’s tally of wins to 24 to be fourth in the race for the jockey’s premiership.
“I feel like I’m riding well but I aim to get better and that will come with time,” he said.
Opportunities are starting to surface and one that has sparked a lot of interest is a chance to ride in the US.
“I have been approached to go to Kentucky for six weeks to ride for two or three good stables so that is something I’m weighing up,” he said. “Jarrod McLean [from Darren Weir’s stable] has told me I can go work for him at the Warrnambool stable any time so I have some things to think about, but I’m not in a hurry to move.”