Hammersley returns
JOCKEY Paul Hammersley’s journey to re-establish himself as one of the leading riders on the Gold Coast begins when he returns to race riding at Aquis Park today.
Hammersley has been off the scene for nine months recovering from a badly injured left shoulder and is keen to get back into the saddle with rides for trainers David Vandyke and John Smerdon.
“I would be quite happy to re-establish myself back at the Gold Coast again,” he said. “I have a good job over here with Chris Waller and I ride work for him six days a week.
“I am very happy there and if I can get five to 10 rides per week throughout the country and provincial meetings, I would be more than happy.
“My fitness isn’t too bad. I have been riding trackwork for a couple of months so it is just race fitness that I will need.”
Hammersley, 35, said he had the option of having an operation but opted against the surgery and decided to see if the shoulder would come good over time.
“I thought we would try option B and give it time,” he said. “I was a bit sceptical about that to start with but after about three months it started to come right and continued to come right, but it is going to be a time thing.”
Hammersley has been booked to ride Bradbury for Gold Coast-based Smerdon in the BenchMark 65 Handicap (1800m) as well as the Vandyke-trained dual acceptor Dissolution.
Vandyke is in Melbourne to saddle up Alligator Blood in the Group 1 $1 million Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington today.
The Sunshine Coast trainer said he would wait until this morning to discuss with his owners if Dissolution would take his place in the Class 4 Handicap (1100m) or in the Colts, Geldings and Entires
Class 2 Handicap (1200m).
Hammersley said: “David is a very good trainer and will have him in the right condition for the race.
“He will go through the form in each race to see where he is best suited.
“Whenever you ride one of David’s you have a lot of confidence that they are going to be pretty much on the mark and if he can get anywhere near his old form he should go pretty close in either race.”
Hammersley’s weight did increase while he was out of the saddle but he has set his sights on getting it down to 57kg initially before trying to reduce his riding weight back to around the 54kg mark.
“I’ve had nine months off and you put the weight on in that time,” he said.
“I am just taking my time to get it off. I’m trying to keep myself healthy, number one.
“Short term it won’t be much lighter than 57kg I would imagine, but I might get down to 55kg within three months. Realistically I probably need to get down to 54kg again at some point.”