Three Questions: Luke Nolen
Australia's leading jockey is riding in Britain for the first time at Ascot this afternoon. The 30-year-old made a remarkable comeback from injury last year, returning to the saddle after suffering seven smashed facial bones and a bruised brain in a fall at a Brisbane track in 2008.
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Your support makes all the difference.1. Do you expect a difference in the style of racing here?
Yes. In Australia it is a bit cagey; we ride our horses the way we train them, to unleash sprints at the end of races.
I think the pace will be more honest here. But that is one of the points of being here, to learn. I've walked the course at Ascot and the TV shots don't begin to do it justice. It's huge and much more uphill and downhill than you think.
2. Was it hard to race again after that terrible fall at Doomben?
No, because I have no recollection of the incident. I've been told I'm fortunate, because if I could remember I'd never ride again. I've seen it on replays, because I wanted to see for my own satisfaction whether on not the run I went for was there. It was, but it shut as soon as I got there and I came off second best. But if that's the worst fall I'll have in my career, I'll have done OK. Nerve has never been an issue, but if it became so, I'd stop. Racing is a great industry to make a living for someone of my level of education but I'd never want to ride scared just for the sake of money.
3. Are there any more top Australian horses due to come to these parts?
Look out for one from our yard, Typhoon Tracy, perhaps for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot next year. She's some mare.
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