There was a time when newly crowned Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Ethan Brown never wanted to ride again.
Brown was lucky to survive a horrific fall at Flemington in the Australian Guineas in 2023, where he was lucky to survive.
His partner, Celine Gaudray, a talented jockey in her own right, revealed Brown was in such a bad headspace that he wanted to become a trainer instead.
“Well, I remember when he wanted to quit, quit racing,” she told Betsy after Brown’s heroics on Tuesday.
“He was in a bad headspace for a long time and … it took him a while to find that love and spark for racing again, and he worked really hard at it.
“And lucky for him, he’s got Ciaron [Maher] on his shoulder and told him, ‘Oh, you’re not gonna [quit riding]…’
“He wanted to be a trainer, a racehorse trainer, and I was fucking dreading that.
“So I’m so grateful Ciaron said, ‘You’re not gonna be a trainer, you’re gonna be a jockey.’
“And then he switched back on, he got his confidence back up, and he’s just been flying ever since.”
Since his return, Brown has soared. He has now won 13 Group 1s and recently returned from a stint with the world’s best in Hong Kong.
The significance of winning a Melbourne Cup at the track where he nearly lost his life isn’t lost on Gaudray or Brown’s family.
“Honestly [I’m] speechless. I’ve got no words for it. Ethan’s mum and sister are here today, and his mum still hasn’t stopped crying yet,” she said.
“She’s so proud of him, and same as Chelsea, his sister.
“They’re still in tears now, and it means so much to us, and Ethan’s worked so hard for this. No-one deserves it more.”
Forever polite, Brown is one of racing’s nice guys, but Gaudray says that he can still switch it on on race day.
“He’s very poker-faced. He doesn’t give you a lot. He’s extremely professional. Um, he can let his hair down every now and then, doesn’t mind a drink, but he’s normally pretty switched on,” she said.
“He’s very dedicated to his job, and honestly, I’ve got no words for how he does things, ’cause he makes me feel really useless.”
“I’m gonna give his mum the honours of having the first drink, and her favourite drink is Fireball. So I’m gonna let her enjoy that,” Gaudray said.
