[ad_1]
When told that Keagan Latham was talented, he was hit, but he overcame desperation and became the top jockey on Sydney’s difficult stage.
One of the reasons why certain sports people are more successful than others is their ability to use constructive criticism. South African jockey Keagan Latham (Keagan Latham) is one of them.
If he didn’t listen to some hard truths five years ago, he wouldn’t be riding in Randwick on Saturday.
Like many young athletes, when things become easy, they tend to become lazy and feel satisfied with living an easy life.
Anton Marcus, the younger brother of Basil, who has won multiple Hong Kong championships, frankly expressed to Latham the young driver’s direction.
“He said to me,’You are one of the biggest waste of talent in South Africa.’ That hit home. It made me want to cry,” Latham said.
“I know he was right. I can’t deny this. At that time I decided to pack up in South Africa, sell my house, and then move to the UK.”
However, Latham’s next career is not his best result.
“Unfortunately, this is not the beginning of a fairy tale. I worked hard. After 18 months there, I was tired of racing.” He said.
“I think I won seven championships throughout the 2016 season. I almost gave up and lost all my confidence.
“My partner (Nancy) suggested that I go to Australia just to work for six months to cheer me up.
“When I got here, I fell in love with this place overnight, and Gai Waterhouse allowed me to move forward.”
Latham (Latham) Plan C works well and he has won the championship for several years in a row.
For this, he must figure out what went wrong before, but it did not appear on the track.
Latham realized that his mental health was not 100%.
“If there is no motivation, it is very difficult to ride a bike. I don’t understand the frustrated people, but I turned around and realized that I was because I gave up on myself,” he said.
“I am thriving in the competition, and when all this is taken away from you, you are struggling every day.”
Australia gave Latham a second life. He said that if he didn’t get the right mental health, he would live a life he didn’t want to live.
“Depression is a real thing. Unfortunately, a month ago, I lost a cousin due to depression. He is struggling and living his own life,” he said.
“It made me realize that when I experienced depression five years ago, I never admitted that I was depression.
“I lost my willingness to participate in motorsports and I was panicked because racing is the only thing I know.”
Want to know the difference between Australia, South Africa and Europe?
Latham said Australia has less room for error.
He said: “Racing drivers are very different from South Africa and Europe. I spent some time mastering the way they ride in Australia.”
“For example, in Europe, if horses don’t start well, they still won’t quit the race because the tracks are very different.
“However, in the first Furlong Grand Prix, many competitions were won.
“You must get your horse out of obstacles as quickly as possible and enter an important position.
“I found that the drivers here had to find a good place because they didn’t cut corners.
“In the race, you have to know everyone around you very well so that you can maneuver when needed. They are the best jockeys in the world.
“In the Australian jockey’s room, I have never felt as competitive as I am now.”
The amount of exposure is also a huge difference.
Jockeys who come here from abroad are often shocked when they see the car on the front and back.
“In general, Australia has a much bigger race than South Africa. There are only eight racecourses there.
“I just wish I could come to Australia sooner. The opportunities here are huge.
“I have never competed in a country where provincial and municipal racing cars are divided into three levels.”
Latham does not know why more and more international jockeys are not making Australia their home.
In Europe, Winx connections are often criticized for not surpassing and performing at their best, but when your backyard games are worth millions of dollars, why do you do this?
Latham said: “The game in Australia gives a lot of people a chance to make a living.”
“Britain’s prize money is not very good. There are too many competitions, but the prize money is quite mediocre. I don’t understand why more riders don’t want to come here.”
Latham has won 86 titles in New South Wales (NSW) this season, but he is determined to add 11 town titles in the next few weeks.
Latham said: “This is an important time for me, seize the opportunity to ride in the city while some big pistols are not there.”
“This is a good opportunity for me to step in, and I have a lot of good rides, so I hope it will go smoothly.”
Latham will ride 11-11, Snitz, Feel The Rush, Magic Ruler and More Propheets.
Moreover, the connection between his riders can expect their riders to understand everything in its form.
“I admit to every race, even if I didn’t participate. I will look at them over and over again and try to find the horses that can be successfully completed even if they don’t win.” Latham said.
“Knowing the ins and outs of the form is very important. It makes it easier for myself and the coach to figure out what is the best way to ride a horse.
“When I say that any trainer will agree with me as soon as possible, I will agree.”
Trainer Sterling Alexiou said that there is no doubt that Latham may become a more permanent fixture in the Sydney jockey’s room, especially if he is in the next A couple of Saturdays rode a bunch of winners.
“On the one hand, I can count on the number of rides he can increase over the past few years,” Alexiou said.
“Every time he goes there, you get us eight or nine out of ten, and we are lucky.
“Of all the jockeys, our strike rate may be the highest.
“He is very strong and you always know what you will get.
“He is good enough, but he can’t ride a weight less than 55 kg, which may make him shrink a little.”
On Saturday, Latham rode eight times.
Since he won the Scone Cup last year, Feel The Rush is Latham’s first ride on the Maher/Eustace horse stable.
She will compete for the third time in the same itinerary at Warwick Farm, over 2400m, and participate in the third race. After four weeks of tutoring, she will become more suitable.
Latham said: “It will continue to travel, no problem.”
“Their training method is absolutely suitable for those who keep horses.
“They have a large number of jockeys, so when they are not in town, it is good to ride one of their rides.”
Due to his relationship with David Payne, Latham will ride the Dream Circle on Saturday.
Latham said: “We are all from Durban, he is another city trainer, which gave me some winners.”
“It won a good result in the final opening. It did speed up on a difficult track, so he should be close to winning again.”
The 33-year-old Latham has come a long way in the past ten years to become a rider, a rider without a lot of jaws.
Moreover, you will not do it in Sydney because of weaknesses.
[ad_2]
Source link