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He’s had more comebacks than Johnny Farnham, but it was good to see respected jockey Johnny Kissick back in the winner’s circle at Berrigan earlier this month.
Riding for the first time in four months, and after nearly giving the game away for good, the 32-year-old took one ride on the non-TAB program and teamed up with long-time supporter Dan McCarthy when winning aboard Solvere in the 1200m Class Two Handicap.
“It was more of a relief after I cooled down and realised that I wasn’t in a world of hurt, and I was still okay,” Kissick said.
“When I rode at Corowa in July, which was my first ride back in NSW, I thought I had pulled up okay, but when I cooled down on the way home, I knew I was buggered and ready to give it all away.
“I’m glad I didn’t, and it was good to get a winner for Dan. He is the one who convinced me to come back to riding after I broke my back, and he has been one of my biggest supporters.
“I love the game and love riding, and I think persistence eventually pays off, and I’ve kept fighting, and if you keep doing that, luck has to go your way.”
Kissick has every right to be frustrated with his injury toll, having seemingly experienced the bad luck of three jockeys.
The Griffith product and winner of 409 races was the toast of the Southern Districts between 2010 and 2016, commencing his career with the astute Peter Clancy before venturing to town to ride for Chris Waller.
In late 2016, he broke his back, which kept him out of the saddle for three years before returning to racing in 2020.
Then, in 2021, Kissick was preparing for a bumper Wagga Gold Cup carnival before he suffered a badly broken leg.
Add to that a broken pelvis, wrist, collarbone, foot and finger, and Kissick has endured his fair share of mishaps.
“Me not riding has not been by choice,” Kissick said.
“I’ve had some bad luck, and this is the last time; I mean it.
“People see that I’m gone again and coming back, and they think I’m just coming and going as I please, but mentally and physically, it’s been so hard, and I’ve never given up.
“I’ve only ever wanted to ride; there’s been a lot of tears and pain, and I know it won’t be easy.”
Kissick almost gave the game away in 2022 after riding at Tocumwal, and that sent him on a trip north, where he rediscovered his passion for riding, winning races at Esk, Warwick, and Toowoomba before moving back south to give it one last crack.
“When I went to Tocumwal that day, I was in a world of bother, and driving there, I kind of knew it was my last meeting,” Kissick said.
“I was riding on painkillers and thinking I could push through, and the body would come good, but mid-way through, I told myself I was done.
“I just couldn’t do it anymore; the pain was just so much, and there were times I’d ride work in the morning, and I’d go home and be in pain all day.
“So, I went to Queensland and did the Foreman thing, and I was riding trackwork, and feeling good and finally went and saw a bloke up there, and Rob was convinced he could fix me, and he worked on me, and had me doing a program, and he got me to the point I was pretty much pain-free and could ride again.
“I got some winners, but I wasn’t getting a lot of opportunities, and I came home to be close to my family and give it a crack.”
Bad luck reared its ugly head again, and Kissick needed time off earlier this year due to a broken foot, but he came back and eventually sought out the services of a physiotherapist who has Kissick feeling as good as he has in a very long time.
“On my first day back, I was riding trackwork, and a horse flipped over and broke my foot,” Kissick said.
“Then I came back at Corowa, and all my injuries started to flare up again, but the guy I met in Queensland put me onto a physio down here, and she has tweaked what I’m doing and did her own thing.
“I spent months working hard in the gym, and touch wood; I’m feeling great right now.”
Kissick isn’t keeping all his eggs in one basket, though, and while he hopes to rekindle the same form that saw him ride in 13 Group and Listed races, he is thinking about life after riding and what that will look like.
He works with former jockey-turned-trainer-and-breaker Shaun Nolen at his Benalla base and is learning all the ins and outs of getting a young horse to the track.
“When I am done riding, I’d like to train, but I’m breaking in horses right now and learning all about that and working for Shaun is great; he breaks in about 250 a year,” Kissick said.
“It’s all very interesting. Shaun was a talented jockey, and weight finished his career, and I’ve learned a bit from him.
“I’ll keep riding, but I’m working full-time for Shaun, and for the moment, I’ll just be riding once or twice a week and, on the weekend, if I can, but I won’t be looking to ride every day.
“I’ll just try and build a bit of momentum and work on keeping fit and healthy and go from there.”
Kissick will be looking for a ride over the Snake Gully Cup program and has made himself available for Saturday’s meeting at Adaminaby.
