Nothing is Impossible for Kath!
JOCKEY Katherine Bell-pitomac has been thrown many physical challenges in her career but none more than the broken spine she suffered in a horror multi-horse fall in Tamworth
The horse-loving mum had to overcome an unexpected hurdle when she was a child.
‘No one thought horse riding was a sport so even though I was on my pony twice a day and all weekends, teachers told me I had to do other sports. I had a go at everything – netball, hockey, swimming and athletics – and it probably made me even more determined to follow my passion and that’s why I became a jockey.
Kath was described by a journalist as “promising” after her first race as an apprentice. Little did that writer know that when the young athlete from South Australia said the word promise, she meant it.
“I promised myself I would ride on the track one day bit little did I realise that it might be a bendy one with lots of potholes,” she laughed.
The twists included marriage and family and years out of the race scene before moving to Wellington and reigniting her career.
“I rode lots of trackwork and on the Picnic Races circuit but wasn’t really satisfied with that and when Mick Mulholland offered to resume my apprenticeship, well nothing was going to stop me.”
Kath has always been driven, and just like the song “Nothing Is Impossible” chosen as the unofficial theme song for the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo last year, she recalled an old t-shirt that became her sort of “Linus blanket”.
“I bought it when I started riding and wore it when I came back to the saddle after a major crash in which I broke my spine. I had real doubts and the doctors were telling me I couldn’t come back and I saw this shirt and said, ‘yep I’m going to buy it’ and I wore it to death and I’d still have it on today except it’s worn out,” she laughed with a tinge of pride.
Kath wore the shirt with the “Nothing Is Impossible” logo when she was rehabilitating in the gym to remind herself that her injuries could be overcome. She vowed she would be back to complete her apprenticeship and ride long into the future.
Kath reckons the teachers who told her riding horses wasn’t a sport would be amazed.
‘I told them it was the best exercise and it honestly was the rock on which I was able to build my recovery.”
After having her children and then spending time out of action with a litany of injuries, Kath used the teachers’ words to drive the return to her passion.
“I am glad I made the decision to step back the first time because I realised that if I had kept on going I may have ruined everything. But when I made the decision to come back I knew I was going to make a decent go of it. The love I had for horses and the desire to prove that anything was possible was all the motivation I needed.” Kath’s injury list is substantial. “I said to someone during the week, ‘when I do something, I do it well and unfortunately this includes injuries! I have injured every part of my body, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I’ve broken very few major bones, just fingers and toes,” she laughed.
That off-the-cuff remark belied
the life-threatening injuries she suffered on the Tamworth racecourse.
“I broke my back! But other than that, I have been lucky. There was the broken pelvis after a horse fell on me, a bit of internal bleeding, broken ribs, an injured shoulder and a brain injury associated with the big fall in Tamworth.”
But apart from that, not much to write home about!
Kath reminds me of the famous Monty Python Black Knight who remarked, “it’s only a flesh wound” as another limb was lopped off!
She also remembered when one of her mounts went through the fence when she was a young apprentice, breaking her tailbone.
‘I didn’t realise how important that small and seemingly insignificant bone was going about your daily tasks. You can’t sneeze, you can’t cough and every time you move...”
Again, a smile and a “so what, it’s better now”!
Kath and her husband Daniel, himself a jockey who has recently been forced into retirement because of the number of serious head injuries he has suffered, were gathered in Cameron Park when Deputy Mayor Richard Ivey announced her as the Wellington Sportsperson of the Year.
“It was an amazing feeling. There were so many people around. I felt bad because we don’t usually get to the celebrations. Horses are our lives and the early mornings mean trackwork and feeding. I actually had to sneak away on Wednesday and leave the hosing down to others,” Kath chuckled.
The humble sportswoman felt in awe of the achievements of those around her who were recognised by the community for their generosity.
“To hear the testimonials for those people left me thinking how much they do and here’s me who just rides horses. It was quite humbling to be up there with so many amazing people. It made me realize what a wonderful community we have here in Wellington.”
Kath says her trainer/friend Mick Mulholland laughed when she said she was going to the ceremony.
“What are you becoming an Aussie Citizen or something”!
The trainer’s reaction was just as understated when Kath showed him her testimonial.
“Oh, that’s good,” Mick said. “Now finish washing down those horses”!
2020 was a breakthrough when Kath piloted Old Harbour to a win in the Central West Championship final but her hopes of riding in the $500,000 final at Royal Randwick were dashed when the horse suffered a tendon injury.
Memorable wins in the Forbes Cup, Old Harbour in the Country Championships and then Who’s Tinny to outride her apprenticeship with her 100th winner stand out but the quietly spoken horsewoman says every day she jumps on a horse brings special memories.
Kath has such a refreshing attitude to racing.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a non-tabber or a Country Championship race, you strive to do your best for the horse and the owners.”
On Boxing Day she scored on Digger’s Reach for Gary Mccarney.
“It was such a thrill, you know, local horse, local trainer, my home track.”
‘To take a horse you’ve been working with for a while and see it reach a milestone is what it’s all about.”
Kath honed in on the words of Corey Cutt, the Young Australian of the Year who gave the address in Cameron Park.
“Corey’s focus says it is all about improving things for people going forward. It really rang a bell for me. At this stage of my life I know I’m not a 20 year old who has a long career ahead. I’ve had injuries and my husband Daniel is no longer able to race and I know that injuries are going to slow me down at some stage but while I’m here, if I can help one person or encourage them in their journey then that’s what it’s all about.
“If I can help one person or encourage one person or be the difference between someone giving up or keeping going, that is far more important to me than going out and winning these hugebig races. What I would like to achieve with my riding career is to create something better for kids coming through.”