Summary: Michael Rodd is a Melbourne Cup winning jockey with a fantastic career under his belt so far. In this episode of Betting 360 the highly respected rider shares some insider knowledge from a jockey's point of view. You'll get to hear who Michael truly respects in the industry, his pre-race process of assessing the form and predictions for the upcoming season. Punting Insights You'll Find What it takes to be a successful jockey and who Michael respects the most. How a jockey gets on the better horses. How you can 'read' Mark Kavanagh Why track bias is often over-rated. Why Atlantic Jewel and Super Cool are set for big Spring campaigns Today's Guest: Michael Rodd Michael's Closing Tip: " I do spend a lot more time on form and it gives me a lot more confidence on race day. " Get the Transcript: Episode 019: Racing From A Jockey's Point Of View with Michael Rodd David: Hi and welcome to Betting 360. I’m your host David Duffield, and every week here I bring on a special guest to look at punting from all different angles. Today I’m pleased to chat with Michael Rodd, he’s the man of the moment with Atlantic Jewel and he’s set up for a very big spring. So I wanted to have a chat to him about what it takes to be a good jockey and how he prepares for a race meeting whether it’s a big day of group racing, or a day down at Bendigo, or Ballarat. So we’ll have a chat with him, and see how an A grade jockey goes about his work. David: Hi everyone it’s Dave here. And today I’d like to welcome Michael Rodd to the show, how are you going Michael? Michael: Yeah really well thanks Dave. David: That’s good, it’s a good time of year. I just wanted to have a chat firstly about your background, and then speak more specifically about the spring. But what do you think it takes to be a good jockey? What do you think separates the best from the rest? Michael: Look you’ve obviously, you’ve got to be keen to work hard. It’s a very important thing, you know especially if you want to sort of compete on the big stage. You know you’re pretty much going round spring carnival time, or any carnival time you’re going every day. And you know if you’re not at the races, you’re at the barrier trials, or you’re doing replays. So obviously you’ve got to work hard. And then the obvious traits of having good balance, and having nice soft hands, and obviously being able to read a race, you know while you’re in it, and getting on with the horses. So there’s a few things that sort of have to combine there, but if it does, and you know you can be in that top echlon, it’s a great way to make a living. David: So you mention balance and soft hands. How did you learn those type of skills? Or the other horsemanship, because it’s not like you spent your childhood around horses or anything like that. Michael: No that’s right. Look I didn’t come from a racing background, and I just learnt from scratch. But the beauty of the way I learnt was that I was taught to be a jockey straight away. I didn’t have any other habits, of say equestrian, or any other type of riding. So I was sort of irons up short, and I was taught to you know, how to be a jockey, to think like a jockey. And look a lot of it has to come naturally. You can’t, you know it’s just like any sportsman, whether you’re playing football, or soccer, or you know you’re a surfer or whatever, you’ve got to have that natural ability, and then you work hard at the other skills that you’re not so good at. But you know obviously the balance, I’ve always had, I’ve been a surfer all my life, and a skateboarder, so that came pretty naturally. And then with your hands, I think that’s just something also that you’re sort of born with. And you know, knowing how to ride on a long rein, and being confident at riding on a long rein. If you rein a horse that’s up too short, you can get them pulling, and you know if you get them pulling then your race is over.
