LIFE’S a beach for Jim Crowley – even if he did miss out on a £50,000 payday.
The former champion jockey returned to the saddle at Goodwood on Tuesday after his whopping 20-day whip suspension.
The BHA’s draconian penalties meant he was forced to miss out on riding Mostahdaf – and a cut of £1 million in prize-money – in the Juddmonte International.
He couldn’t bring himself to watch the racing at York… so he took himself off surfing instead.
Probably just as well, as the five-year-old ran out a brilliant winner against Paddington and co, with Frankie Dettori's retirement fund benefitting handsomely in Crowley's absence.
To make matters worse for Crowley, 45, his hefty ban, for going three over the whip limit of six when winning an epic King George on Hukum, came with a £10,000 fine attached.
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Talk about an expensive mistake.
He had been riding the crest of a wave up until that point and the King George itself was an amazing spectacle, with Hukum narrowly fighting off Westover by a head at Ascot.
But rules are rules and Crowley broke them in no uncertain terms – even if he wasn’t aware of it during the heat of battle and came within just one stroke of being disqualified.
He held his hands up once the dust had settled but, along with his fellow jockeys, he bristled for several days afterwards about the current whip penalties, describing his as a ‘punishment which didn’t fit the crime’.
No wonder he wanted to avoid watching his best horse Mostahdaf being ridden by another jock – and a trip to Cornwall with the family proved the perfect escape.
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He said: “I didn’t want to watch any racing really while I was off, I know from past experiences that it just frustrates the life out of me so I’d rather not do it.
“The suspension was incredibly annoying and terrible timing, I spoke at length about it last month, but you just had to swallow it and crack on.
“It was tough initially but to be honest, getting away with my family and trying something different and having fun was just what I needed to take your mind off the racing.
"I wouldn't say my surfing technique was anything to write home about – I'm not thinking of a career change just yet.
“The best thing was I couldn’t get any phone reception while I was down there so I had no idea what was happening up at York!”
He'll definitely be dialled in after his enforced break and says he is as “fresh as paint” ahead of a massive few months.
He can’t wait to say bonjour to his old pal Hukum in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris in a few weeks’ time.
And he will be packing his swimmers and sun cream in late October, with Mostahdaf likely to head out to LA for the Breeders’ Cup.
It all starts, though, with today’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, where he will get the leg up on Alflaila, who was supplemented at a cost of £65,000.
Owen Burrows’ four-year-old is improving fast and heads over to the outskirts of Dublin with a run of four straight wins to his name.
He is up in the big leagues now, with the likes of Auguste Rodin, King Of Steel and Nashwa lying in wait, but Crowley reckons he could surprise one or two.
He said: “He seems to be improving, pretty quickly at that, and he certainly hasn’t done anything wrong recently.
“It’s a tough race as always, but he won a nice race at York last time out and deserves his place in the line-up.
“Touch wood everything looks in his favour conditions wise, and Owen, who has been having an amazing season, has been thrilled with the horse at home.
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“We are taking on some proven Group 1 horses, but I suppose Alflaila is like the joker in the pack as we don’t know what his ceiling is.
“You do miss these big days when you’re off, but I’m raring to go and think he will run a big race.”
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