By Ray Hickson
Jessica Drury is determined that her career as a jockey is not defined by the injuries that she had to overcome to make it 17 years after her debut.
It is an astonishing statistics that the last 50 trips of the 35-year-olds stretch back until 2015 and their previous comeback lasted all eight racing trips.
But it wasn't just a fight with bad luck and injury, it was a battle of the mind.
Drury, who started her latest comeback at the end of January after an ankle injury that cost her another year, recently celebrated a breakthrough winner.
Jessica Drury begins to see the results of the demanding work she did to return to the race. (Image: Steve Hart).
Let's go with Jess before we made the delicate shine.
Already in 2017 she suffered several injuries, one of which required a reconstruction of her hand and an 18 -month recovery, since operations had to be staggered, and she started to believe that it was too arduous. Worse than too massive.
She would not return to the race until 2023.
“In these 18 months to be really truthful, I went into deep depression,” said Drury.
“It was arduous for me to understand why I had these setbacks.
“It was arduous to think – 'was that a sign, should I reveal it, I do something wrong?
“It took a while until I was back on the right track and found my self -worth and motivation. I renewed my license every year because I always knew that I was coming back.
“I would not have injuries ended my career and didn't really have to do my full potential outside of my apprenticeship training.
“It was about taking me to a good place.”
Drury is very ecstatic to say that things have changed and she says that she might not have been for a sturdy support network around her when she worked out of the murky.
Fortunately, 'friends and family' can summarize a number of people.
She is particularly grateful to her management team, including Steve Hart and Scott Wheeler, the coach Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, for whom she has worked in the past four years, well -known physical trainer Trent Langlands and Tim Martin and Terry Wicks.
“I wouldn't be the support that I had around me here if there was no such people,” she said.
“I don't think one of them really understands how much they helped me.
“My career was basically injured, I have not been a full season since 2012.
“Every time I came back, I said that this is the last time – I'm not that teenage, I have plates and screws in many of my members, my next injury will look me, but I didn't come back for eight trips and I have to go again.”
It was a busy week for Drury, in which many hours have traveled to racing meetings to take a few trips, but she understands that it is part of the comeback.
She has to change her name in an environment from which she says that she has changed a lot with a gigantic number of drivers, including numerous female trainees, with which she is fighting for trips.
“After being outside for so long, it gets a slower, massive process and I have to work very demanding to find this support,” she said.
“I had my first race in January 2008, I was 18 years ancient and was one of three girls in the country NSW. Our jockey rooms were like the caretaker's cabinet.
“Now I come back, I have no claim to offer, I'm in the game for a while and there are so many jockeys.”
April 19 will be a day when Drury will not forget, it was the day she had been waiting for, but the result that nobody had expected.
A chance of 26 US dollars named Frenchburg – trained by Terry Wicks – gave her a dream trip, won like a money that was shot in Port Macquarie, and raised doubts that had built quietly.
Jess Drury wins in Frenchburg in Port Macquarie (Image: Trackside).
“It was the last thing I expected, and frankly I started thinking, 'do I make myself kidding myself, am I too ancient?' “She said.
“It is arduous if the results do not come and I do so much demanding work.
“The winner could not have come early enough, but it is not all. I will keep moving it out. I have to keep it up. I have found that I am not the only demanding luck story when I am a bit of a” needy me “mindset.
“I lost a few people on the way and only wish I had my deed together and some of these people saw me come back.
“I have to withdraw and get into a rhythm, and this winner helped my self -confidence.”
Since her fitness improves and self -confidence grows, Drury feels good for this comeback and says that if and when retirement happens, she wants it to be her call.
“I've been a race horses for almost 20 years, I had a lot of injuries and I definitely don't jump as before,” she said.
“It is a concern that if I have another significant injury, I have to submit, but I am a lot of smarter, I eat better and take care of myself much better.
“Touch Wood, there will be no injury that is significant enough to end before I'm ready.
“It could be a flop and I could still have to fight in 12 months, and if that's the case, I will be ecstatic to stop my boots and that will be on my own conditions.”
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