Danny Miller can still remember the roar of the crowd and the “thrill” as he raced in the Melbourne Cup 56 years ago.
It was 1967, the WA jockey was in his early 20s, and riding a racehorse called Royal Coral.
“I always had an ambition to ride in Melbourne … I think it’s a great feather in your cap to be able to do it,” Miller said.
“It was a terrific thrill.”
He thought if things went his way he might have won.
“A lot of 100-to-one pops have won it,” Miller said.
“It’s not the best horse [that wins], it’s the one lucky enough on the day.”
In the end, Miller came in 13th but his Melbourne Cup race was a highlight of his 50-year career in horse racing.
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Australia’s oldest jockey
If the 75-year-old had his way, he would still be racing.
In 2018, Miller was the oldest jockey racing in Australia, but he was forced to retire after Racing and Wagering WA declared him unable to ride on medical grounds.
“I was a bit upset about that. I threatened to walk away from racing,” he said.
“But when it has been in your blood, it’s hard to leave, you know, you’re still part of it.”
He gave up professional racing that day, but he trains up family to keep the tradition alive.
“I’ve got a new knee now,” Miller said.
“So if I get another new knee, I could go for another 10 years.”
Even if he’s not racing, he still enjoys a day at the track.
“It’s like watching the grand final football, it’s something special … it stops the nation.”
The veteran jockey is happy that his image has been painted in a mural at a turf club in Bunbury, about 90 kilometres from his home town of Coolup.
“When I’m gone it will still be here,” he said.
Artist Jacob “Shakey” Butler described Miller as a “legend” of the sport and said he deserved to be recognised.
“I just had a lot of people telling me that he has to be on the mural, because he’s such a legend,” Butler said.
“He was literally pushed into retirement at the age of 70 and because it’s in his blood, he just keeps cracking on.”
Racing alive in country WA
The racing industry has been marred by controversy in recent years, with animal-welfare activists raising concerns about jockeys using the whip and reports of racehorses ending up at abattoirs.
However, Miller is confident the Melbourne cup will live on for years to come.
The Bunbury Turf Club has just undergone a $30 million makeover and hundreds turned out to the country racecourse to watch the race on Tuesday, including Miller.
Bunbury Turf Club chief executive Alex Doble said there was a strong interest in racing locally.
“Obviously the social conscience and the social licence to operate is something that needs consideration and needs to be addressed,” he said.
“But at the end of the day everyone I know in the industry, they care for their horse dearly.
“The horses are athletes, they live and breathe in a high-performance environment — I don’t know how many athletes would perform at their best if they were mistreated.”
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