PIPER CALLS THE TUNE

It was hard to stop Jana Piper from jumping out of her skin at the Sunshine Coast yesterday.

Her smile got bigger with each passing winner. Her body language became more animated with each visit to the winners’ enclosure and there was a spring in her step that showed just how much pleasure she was taking from the day in which she brought home the first hat trick of her race riding career.

“I’m on fire,” laughed Piper, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

The fact that Piper has displayed a recent, rapid rate of progress is no accident.

Behind the scenes, the young rider has been hard at work with her mentor, trainer Lloyd Brazier, whose stable she joined on a full time basis some five months ago.

That was a move which will forever have an impact on her future because Brazier’s commitment to helping the young rider to get ahead has already almost gone beyond the call of duty.

“I started with Troy (Hall) who was the one who first suggested that I become a jockey,” said Piper. “It was nobody’s fault, but I struggled there. It was probably too big a stable for me at the time. Troy’s got bigger owners and they bring priorities, which I understand.

“I needed a smaller yard,” continued Piper. “Lloyd has seven horses in training and from the moment he took me on things started to change for me.

“It has now reached the stage where Lloyd sort of works everything around my involvement. I get the choice of rides. If we feel something might not be good enough to feature, he’ll let me take an outside ride.

“We’ll give our horses some days off. That gives me free time to ride work for other trainers. That helps lift my profile, which is why I get a fair book of rides each week at the Sunshine Coast.”

But it is not just by allowing her greater involvement in the regular everyday routine of the stable, which boosted her confidence, that Brazier has altered Piper’s career course.

Brazier’s influence is most prominent as the guiding hand that has shadowed Piper throughout her steep learning curve, both in terms of the development of her riding skills and the strengthening of mental ability to cope with adversity.

A nervous beginning ... tough criticism ... formal censure. These were all hurdles that had to be overcome.

Lloyd Brazier takes up the story.

“Basically, at the start, Jana didn’t know too much about what she was doing,” volunteered Brazier, “and she copped a lot of heat for that.

“The Stewards were on her case ... sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly. We went to appeal twice when we thought they were wrong. Won one, lost one.

“But she was learning you know. It was really a tough time for her because she kept getting called in. Going into that room can be quite daunting for a young apprentice let me tell you.”

Enough to break a young jockey’s spirit I suggested.

“It almost did,” admitted Piper.

“They just kept giving me time ... you know ten meetings, twelve meetings. And even when we won one on appeal, I still did the seven meetings because they wouldn’t give me a stay of proceedings.

“And all of this while I was trying to compete against the likes of Glen Colless or Scotty Seamer when they came to ride at the coast.

"Riding against them was enough to flatten your confidence. Then being called in all the time added to my frustration. In those circumstances, you start to wonder what you are doing here.

“I was close to quitting, but Lloyd talked some sense into my head. He told me to stay positive. He said we’d get through it. He was just so supportive.”

Brazier did confirm that he and Piper had some meetings with the Stewards to try and gain a thorough understanding of their concerns about Piper’s riding so they could work at addressing them.

And Brazier, a former rider, is still talking, advising, encouraging.

“We talk every day,” said Brazier. “I tell her what she did wrong and why she got in that position. I tell her what she did right and the kind of things she must be aware of in a race.

“Then we do it some more the next day ... and the next day ... and the next. You just never stop learning and it’s an advantage if you can have someone pointing things out to you who has your well-being at heart, but who will point out your faults so that you can correct them.

“I’ve taught her how to conduct herself, and told her how not to conduct herself, with the stewards and owners. And the beauty of it all is that she listens and learns. That is why she is starting to get ahead.

“I’ve always told her to enjoy her successes when she has them, but also to always remember that by tomorrow, today will be gone. You can’t afford to get carried away with anything. You have to focus on what you have to do next. That has to remain Jana’s priority.”

Piper’s past record with Stewards does concern her.

“It’s a shocker,” she admits. “But I’ve been travelling pretty well lately and hopefully I can continue to clean up that record. I do feel that I am improving. I’m working really hard at doing that. I’m obviously getting more experience and hopefully that’s starting to show now, so I’m happy I’m heading in the right direction.”

Piper has to reach the twenty winner mark before she can apply to ride in the city. An application does not necessarily mean a license will be granted. Factors such as Piper’s disciplinary record, her level of experience and several other variables will be taken into account before a decision is reached.

But while Piper will be chasing those missing winners to open up her options, neither she nor Brazier intend rushing things along once that milestone has been achieved.

“Maybe I’ll wait till I’ve had twenty-five winners or something like that,” ventured Piper. “I’ll play that one as it comes.”

Brazier was more precise.

“I don’t think it’s about how many winners she has,” said Brazier. “It’s about when she is ready. When she gets to the city Jana will be riding better horses against better riders. She has to be both confident and capable going into that situation if she is going to survive the challenge. There’s still a lot to learn before that happens.

“I think she is about nine to ten months away from being able to go to town and I will hold her back as long as I can.”

To say that Brazier has taken Piper under his wing would sell short his involvement in the rider’s career. To say Piper needed a strong, helping hand through some testing times would be an understatement. To say that Piper has bitten the bullet and got on with the job would be fair comment.

All of their joint effort will be well worth it if the sentiments expressed in the final assessment by Lloyd Brazier, as to where Piper is headed, comes even close to being realised.

“If Jana continues the way she is going now with the same focus, she will be a superstar in eighteen months time,” said Brazier.

It was a statement spoken with true conviction.