Lloyd to hang up boots
CHAMPION Gold Coastbased jockey Jeff Lloyd has confirmed the 2018 Brisbane winter carnival will be his last.
Lloyd was a special guest at the carnival launch in Brisbane yesterday and confirmed his plans to retire later this year.
He won the Brisbane metropolitan and Queensland jockey titles last season and is set to do the same again this season.
“This will be my last carnival as it is time to spend more time with my family,” Lloyd said.
“My older boy is at a jockey academy in South Africa and my younger son is also keen to be a jockey.
“I want to devote time to helping them. They say go out when you are top and hopefully I can do that.”
Lloyd has ridden 94 Group 1 winners around the world but will chase the one that got away when he visits his son after the Queensland carnival.
Lloyd plans to ride in the Durban July at Greyville, the premier race in South Africa where he began his career and won multiple premierships after his family migrated from England.
“I think I have run third in it 11 times but never won or even run second,” he said.
Lloyd, 56, suffered a stroke in 2013 and made a remarkable recovery to return to riding.
He has claimed Group 1 wins in Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore.
His success in the Brisbane premierships in recent seasons has coincided with his increased involvement with the stable of Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds.
They won the 2017 Magic Millions 2YO Classic with Houtzen and will combine again today with favourite Whypeeo in the Listed Mick Dittman Plate at Doomben.