Coast king earns crown, then layoff
THE King of the Coast is set to go from coronation to operation at breakneck speed, with Daniel Griffin revealing he will have surgery immediately after the weekend races.
The 36-year-old is set to be crowned Gold Coast’s jockey premiership winner for an eighth time today, with Griffin (51 wins) leading Jag Guthmann-Chester (28) and Ryan Plumb (19) by the length of a straight.
A third provincial hoops title could also on the menu should father-of-two Griffin (62 wins) outgun Adrian Coome (61) over the weekend. The season ends on July 31.
As well as today’s seven rides on the eight-race Gold Coast card, Griffin takes on two more at the Sunshine Coast tomorrow.
Yet amid the looming celebrations comes the secret that Griffin’s temperamental shoulder, a rotator cuff tear first injured following a training mishap two months ago, requires a full operation.
Griffin faces at least six months on the sidelines, a sad fate he grew accustomed to during his long recovery from knee surgery after an infamous Gold Coast race fall in December, 2012.
“This will be my last ride for the best part of six months,” he revealed.
“I’ve been riding for the past little while with (the shoulder injury) and I just wanted to get through to the end of the season.
“I don’t want the time off but these things have to be done. I haven’t really spoken about it publicly because I didn’t want to lose any rides.
“I’ve done a lot of physio and have backed off my midweek riding.”
While dismissing suggestions of retirement, Griffin admits his shoulder has become a time bomb.
“I’d love to go out with a bang (this weekend),” he said.
“It dislocates all the time; it could happen straight out of the gates or at any time really.
“I’ve battled through it all again.”
Now based at Woodford, Griffin will use the pain of his three knee operations following his 2012 fall as a source of motivation during his shoulder rehab.
“It’s been good coming back from that fall, to win it (the Gold Coast jockey premiership) last year and then this year,” he said.
“To bounce back has been really good.
“I was definitely keen to get back out there and I have been more determined.
“Last time (I was injured) I wasn’t sure if I’d make it back so I didn’t want to hang around the track much.
“This time I know I’ll be back so I’ll keep an eye on what’s going on.
“(Being a jockey) is like riding a bike.”