Legacy of hard work by jockey
ROGER Booth was a selfless jockey who did anything he could to help out Victorian trainer Neil Dyer’s stable – and anyone else he rode for.
Booth tragically passed away after dismounting from Dyer’s six-year-old Senor Juez and experiencing a cardiac arrest, following the second race at Fannie Bay last Saturday. He was 55.
Dyer’s six-year-old Gracious Prospect ran third in the $30,000 Roger Booth Memorial (1100m) at the Darwin Turf Club yesterday.
But where he placed was irrelevant – Dyer just wanted to remember the hard-working and generous legacy Booth left behind.
“We’ve had a lot of jockeys come up and stay with us. Roger was just a pleasure to live with and have working alongside you,” Dyer said.
“Whatever job you wanted to do during the day – clipping horses, swimming horses, going to the beach – Roger was there helping us.
“He was up here to do the job like we are. It was a tragedy.
“He rode for me off and on for 25 years.”
No words can describe how tough the past week has been for Dyer and connections, as well as friends and family of the late Victorian jockey.
But Dyer said he could not have asked for more support from the racing communities in the Northern Territory, Victoria and all over Australia.
“We put a tribute to Roger on our Facebook page and we had 5000 people have a look at it,” Dyer said.
“That tells us how popular he was. He was well known everywhere and well liked.
“(Fellow Victorian jockey) Jarrod Todd using one of Roger’s saddles in the Guineas (feature race in Darwin yester-
“We put a tribute to Roger on our Facebook page and we had 5000 people have a look at it”
day) is an excellent touch.
“We’re going down on Monday to go to Roger’s service at the Mornington racecourse.
“Once we get that out of the way, we’ll see a lot of our friends and Roger’s friends and that’ll make it a lot easier for us.”
Winning trainer of the race two Roger Booth Memorial was four-time reigning Darwin premiership winner Gary Clarke, with his five-year-old Captain Punch (ridden by Brendon Davis) holding off stablemate Boomwaa by almost a length.
Clarke, his family and connections also went through despair when they farewelled jockey Simone Montgomerie, who fell from Clarke’s horse Riahgrand on Cup Day in 2013.
The Darwin Cup was subsequently cancelled.
“It’s an honour to win these races,” Clarke said.
“I went through that myself a handful of years back and I feel for him (Dyer). “It’s a grieving process. “Worst enemies are best friends in a time like this. It’s a competitive game, but when something like that happens everybody helps everyone else out.”