Isdale’s tale is more than just winners and losers
FORMER jockey Clinton Isdale scored his first win as trainer at Ruakaka with Almarie on Saturday, and the new head man has one of the more interesting stories to tell in the industry.
The former jockey has had two major incidents in his life. One led him into a career as a jockey, while the other nearly took his life before his training career had even begun.
Raised in Camden just outside of Sydney, Isdale was a star rugby league player who was good enough to potentially play professionally.
“I played rugby league as a child and played Australian school boys,” Isdale said.
“I was contracted to the Sydney Roosters, but I was just a little bit too small.”
On rugby league legend Arthur Beetson’s suggestion, Isdale joined the Australian army with the idea of returning to rugby league after he had grown, but that move proved to be ill-fated.
“Unfortunately, when I was in the army I broke my pelvis.”
“I was medically discharged.”
This twist in fate, Isdale had a chance encounter with jockey Danny Beasley, whose mother was Isdale’s nurse in hospital. He suggested, due to his size, Isdale try his hand at becoming a jockey.
“I’d never ridden a horse. I said I was a little bit too heavy, but I watched a couple of races and thought I’d give it a go.
“I went to school with Paul Snowden, so I gave him a call and I went to John Hawkes’ and worked under Peter Snowden, Paul and John and just learned to ride a pony and went from there.”
Isdale excelled as a hoop, going on to win 44 races as an apprentice jockey in Australia before moving on to work as foreman for Darley under Peter Snowden.
The new trainer said working under Snowden helped set up his career.
“Working for Peter put me in good stead,” he said. “I’ve used lots of things I’ve learned through Peter, like how to read a horse and simple things like just being patient with a horse.”
Isdale then added some international flavour to his resume by spending time in Singapore as Bruce Marsh’s assistant trainer before returning to Sydney to work for Chris Waller.
He then spent time at Godolphin before moving to Te Awamatu with his partner Gemma Hewetson to set-up his own training operation.
“Gemma got a little homesick. I said if you’re missing home we’ll go, but I don’t just want to ride
track work. Maybe we’ll look into training horses.”
They moved across the Tasman, but were met with a life-threatening incident just two days into their new venture. Isdale was impaled by a piece of fence after a yearling he was breaking-in ran through it.
“It went through my colon, bowel and small intestine and just missed my heart,” he said.
“I was rushed to Waikato (hospital) for emergency surgery and had a few operations after that while I was in hospital. I was in there for three months.”
It has been a slow struggle for the Te Awamutu conditioner, who credits Hewetson with his recovery.
“I went from a strong person to not being able to walk,” he said.
“I had to learn how to walk again properly. You don’t realise how much you need your stomach. I couldn’t shower, she had to do everything. She’s my rock.”
Being such a strong support for Isdale, it was fitting that Hewetson was on course at Ruakaka on Saturday to witness the stable’s first winner, a runner that the pair selected together as a yearling.
“It would have been good for both of us to be there, but someone has to stay home to work the horses and I had taken the horse up there last time,” he said.
“It was good for her to go. I was proud of her more than anything. I was so happy for her to be there and experience that. I got more out of Gemma being happy and crying than what I did for myself.”
Is dale said the win was the highlight of his racing career to date.
“It was unbelievable,” he said.
” It was better than riding my first winner as a jockey. It’s a lot easier being a jockey. Being a trainer there is nowhere to hide, you are up every morning and you’re just under a lot more scrutiny and pressure.”