imaufo
12-11-2002, 16:11
ninemsn, in association with 60 Minutes, presents a live interview with top Australian jockey Shane Dye.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: Shane, thank you for joining us tonight on the eve of Melbourne Cup.
Guest Shane Dye says: Nice to be here and I hope I can help everybody.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: We will go directly to the questions from our chat guests who have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what inspired you to become the man you are today?
Guest Shane Dye says: Determination and a desire to succeed and if you do fail, it doesn't matter as long as you try your hardest and that's what I try and do in life.
http://www.saxton.com.au/images/speakers/Dye.jpg
Guest_Bill in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Shane, your drive and passion is inspirational. When are you going to write a motivational biography-type book?
Guest Shane Dye says: I've had a lot of offers to write books before but I've always felt it hasn't been the right career move. A motivational book for myself would be easy to write but I've never really wanted to write about my career because I feel it hasn't finished yet.
Guest_Elana34® in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Congratulations on your success in Hong Kong, Shane. Any plans to return to riding back in Australia?
Guest Shane Dye says: Definitely one day but not in the near future. I would like to ride 100 group one winners in Australia so I've still got about 10 to go.
Guest_Jenny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what do miss most about Oz?
Guest Shane Dye says: Definitely Australia's lifestyle is sensational; the country is the best … and of course my son, Nicholas.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Do you see yourself riding in another country other than HK, Australia and NZ?
Guest Shane Dye says: At this stage of my life, no, but I have had offers since being in Hong Kong to ride in other parts of the world.
Guest_Panda in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What's it like being in the spotlight there? Being so addicted to gambling like the Chinese are, do you ever fear for your safety if you have a huge run of outs on favorites?
Guest Shane Dye says: You only feel for your safety if you mix with the wrong people and are doing the wrong thing so if you are doing nothing wrong and getting beaten on favourites, your safety is 100 percent secure, I believe.
Guest_Anne in NineMSN_Events2 asks: There have been some harsh penalties dealt out to Australian jockeys in Hong Kong in previous years — would that make you return to Australia if, say, a nine-month riding penalty was given to you?
Guest Shane Dye says: I wouldn't have an option apart from going to Australia as the Hong Kong Jockey Club licenses me. It is their decision whether I stay or go from Hong Kong. Even if I want to stay and they say I can't, I have to leave. So as long as the HK Jockey Club wants me in HK riding, I'll be here.
Guest_craig in NineMSN_Events1 asks: How does the training set up over there differ to say the Crown Lodge group over here, who you rode for with great success in the past?
Guest Shane Dye says: Hong Kong is completely different. Every trainer is only allowed 60 horses at year to train at any time. Every one is in the same situation, the same stables, the same work facilities, the same staff. Everyone is on level par in Hong Kong, that's why ability will always shine through for a trainer or a jockey.
Guest_michael in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Do you think riding in Hong Kong improves jockeys?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes. If you have a look at the jockeys from Australia that have left and gone back — Corey Brown, Steven King, Damien Oliver, Darren Beadman etc, they have always gone back and ridden better and with more success than when they left.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what in Hong Kong racing could Australia racing learn from?
Guest Shane Dye says: To listen to the people in the industry. Australian officials do not listen to the people in their industry (trainers, owners, jockeys, punters). In Hong Kong, if there is a problem it is fixed straight away. I find in Australia if there is a problem it is passed onto someone else and it doesn't get fixed straight away (something wrong with the track, safety issues etc).
Guest_Danny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: At the HK International meetings, do you barrack for the Aussies or the locals? (If you don't have a mount.)
Guest Shane Dye says: Naturally I'm still an Australasian at heart so I want to see our horses do very well and win. I definitely barrack for the Australasian horses.
Guest_Jockey14 in NineMSN_Events2 asks: How hard is it to get a ride in Hong Kong?
Guest Shane Dye says: Very difficult. A jockey works harder in Hong Kong than anywhere I know. I ride work seven days a week, 12-14 horses a morning and am constantly talking to trainers to put me on and give me a ride. I'm very fortunate that I have John Size behind me so getting rides is a little bit easier when I'm riding for him. Most Hong Kong horses are from Australia, NZ or England, but the horses racing in Australia — the better class ones — are definitely better than ours racing in Hong Kong.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, would you like to take up training?
Guest Shane Dye says: No, it's too hard. You have to put up with jockeys riding bad all the time (ha, ha!).
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Guest Shane Dye says: Winning your first race is incredible, which happened on December 28, 1982. Also winning a Melbourne Cup on Terrific, four Golden Slippers and a Cox Plate on Octagonal — they were all very special days.
Guest_Kalpi in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What is the longest odds you have ever got home?
Guest Shane Dye says: I can't remember in Australia but last year in Hong Kong I won on a horse that was 130/1.
Guest_Veandacross in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Do you still defend your ride on Veandacross in the Caulfield Cup so many years ago?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes, as I've said before, the track was better out wide — it always is at Caulfield when it's wet. The only thing I may have done wrong was went too soon on the horse.
Guest_Bill in NineMSN_Events2 asks: It's MC time. It was mentioned you'd like to ride Beekeeper … other thoughts on the race?
Guest Shane Dye says: I'm not up to form as well as I used to be but I liked Beekeeper's run in the Caulfield Cup. The English horses will be very hard to beat but Australian horses this year seem to be below par.
Guest_Jockey14 in NineMSN_Events2 asks: How do you feel for Damien Oliver? Has Jason's death affected people as far as Hong Kong?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes it made the news in Hong Kong. Any racing death does. I was very saddened as it wouldn't matter which jockey got killed; it's always very sad when someone dies.
Guest_Danny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, would I be right in saying that there are now two categories of trainers — those who put the horse first, and those that train like running a business and don't place their horses that well?
Guest Shane Dye says: A difficult question to answer but I do know a lot of trainers run their stables as a business and turnover but John Size, who I ride for, is not a business person and he places his horses very well and really does care about their wellbeing.
Guest_Danny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: I probably know what you're going to say, but do you think that a horse carrying bigger weights is better off with a lightweight jockey with lead bags, or a heavyweight jock with no dead weight? (Assuming they are of equal ability.)
Guest Shane Dye says: I'm light, so naturally I'm gonna say it doesn't matter but the best jockey in the world was Willy Shoemaker. He weighed 40 kilos so the horses he rode always had 20 kilos dead weight on their back and he rode more winners than anyone. I don't think anyone really knows the correct answer.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, does the Chinese diet help with the weight?
Guest Shane Dye says: I eat the same food as I did in Australia. I don't eat breakfast or lunch and I eat a normal main meal for dinner whether it be a steak, Chinese or a salad.
Guest_RIP in NineMSN_Events3 asks: Do you ever fear having a fall?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes and any jockey who says they don't, I believe, is lying. It doesn't worry me when I'm out there or before a race but you are conscious of horses around you. Racing is a very dangerous sport where there have been many deaths and no matter what the stewards do to control interference there will always be deaths. Jason Oliver's horse broke its leg and he fell; it's no-one's fault. Then yesterday in Sydney a horse which Brian York was riding also broke its leg and fell and two others went over top of them and fell. Brian may not ride again for a long time and Lenny Beasley, the other jockey, will probably be out for about a year so it wasn't a matter of being safe in a race and interference it was the horse's fault that caused the fall, so naturally I am aware that something one day (touch wood) may happen to myself. I would be silly to think it wouldn't.
Guest_Jockey14 in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Have you ever been injured in a fall or seen someone fall while you were racing against them?
Guest Shane Dye says: I fell in Hong Kong a year ago and fractured two vertebrae, compressed a vertebrae, [received] two fractured ribs and a fractured hip. I've had two race day falls since I've been in Hong Kong; neither fall my fault. Once in NZ I was involved in a fall in which eight horses fell.
Guest_ellenorhel in NineMSN_Events3 asks: Would you like your son to be a jockey?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes but if either of my sons weren't, it wouldn't worry me. Racing has been very good to me. You experience highs and lows and I get an adrenalin rush when I'm riding. If either son wanted to be a jockey I would support them 100 percent but if either son wanted to be a bricklayer or a doctor I would also support them 100 percent.
Guest_shanelle in NineMSN_Events2 asks: What inspired you to become a jockey?
Guest Shane Dye says: I believe I was born to be a jockey. I wanted to ride horses from the time I can remember and the only thing I ever wanted to do was be a jockey. I do not believe anyone inspired me to be a jockey, it was bred into me.
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Who has been the most inspirational person throughout your career?
Guest Shane Dye says: In racing, Davo Sullivan, who I was an apprentice to. I looked up to him and respected him greatly. As a jockey in NZ when I was a child, David Peake. Then it was also Lanso Sullivan. When I went to Australia, Mick Dittman inspired me. He had the whole package as a jockey.
Guest_Nick in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, I am an apprentice jockey with a 2 kilo claim. I am 16 years old and rode a second and third today. What advice could you give me to improve my career?
Guest Shane Dye says: Dress well, talk well; communication is a big thing for a jockey. I believe communication and speaking well is probably more important than race riding. You must get good rides to ride winners and the only way you are going to get that is by talking to trainers and owners. The biggest tip I can give you in race riding would be not to panic in a race and be patient and if you are not riding winners, do not go on holiday, go to the track before anyone in the morning and work harder than you have ever worked before so you can get better rides.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What's the one characteristic you want your horses to have?
Guest Shane Dye says: To relax in a race. I believe if a horse relaxes in a race, he will finish the last 400 metres very strongly so I try to get a horse to relax more than anything in a race.
Guest_SHOGUN in NineMSN_Events2 asks: I was just wondering what the best horse you have ridden was?
Guest Shane Dye says: Many. Octagonal, Tie the Knot, Super Imposed, Let's Elope, Tierce, Bonecrusher, Dainwin, and that's just to name a few. Octagonal had the biggest heart.
Guest_Taylorbree in NineMSN_Events2 asks: How do the stewards in Hong Kong compare to Australia?
Guest Shane Dye says: Now, in Hong Kong most of the stewards are from Australia whereas three years ago they were not. John Schreck is the chief steward here and I believe he is one of the best stewards I have ever ridden under.
Guest_octagonal in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Shane, can you stay indefinitely in Hong Kong as long as you like? Or does a licence period apply?
Guest Shane Dye says: I get licensed yearly. I have a licence to ride until the end of the season, which ends on June 20, and then I have to reapply to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. If I have not behaved myself or haven't ridden enough winners they will not license me the following year.
Guest_Arny in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Sounds like you're pretty busy with it all Shane. Any time for social activities?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes, movies. During the day I must have a sleep because I only sleep at night because of the heat. I'm up at 4.30am and I finish track work about 9am. I have entries twice a week where I must be at home to answer the phone and get the field for the next week's races on a Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday night I don't go to bed; we have Happy Valley races. By the time I get home, it's normally 1am and I'm too hyper to sleep. You can't come home from a night's racing and go to bed straight away so Thursday after track work I try to have a good sleep. Because my job is so physical, I like to save my energy and not do many outside sports.
Guest_curiosty in NineMSN_Events1 asks: To go to Hong Kong, was it a money thing mainly or to add to your list of achievements?
Guest Shane Dye says: The money did not come into it. At the time I needed a change from Sydney racing and no Australian rider, I believe, has succeeded in a long time and won a premiership in Hong Kong and I wanted to come here and win a premiership. If I don't do it, it doesn't matter but I am desperately trying and working very hard to win one. In my first season in HK, I finished fifth in the premiership and last season I finished second so with hard work and determination hopefully this year I will win it. But Douglas White (the leading jockey in Hong Kong) is an outstanding jockey, one of the best I've ever seen and unfortunately works just as hard as me, if not harder! So he is going to be very hard to beat.
Guest_shane in NineMSN_Events4 asks: Shane, could you please tell me if it is possible to start a career as a jockey at the age of 30 years of age if you are a natural lightweight?
Guest Shane Dye says: It would be very difficult because your best years are your 30s and you have to start from scratch and the apprenticeship is four years but in saying that, nothing in life is impossible and if you are determined and want to do it and it is a dream of yours, don't let anyone stop you. Go ahead and do it before it will be too late.
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, where do you see yourself in say 10 years?
Guest Shane Dye says: I have thought about that a lot lately and I don't know. Basil Marcus was the leading rider in Hong Kong until three seasons ago. He retired last year at 46 years of age. Maybe I may still be in Hong Kong, I may be in Australia, I don't know.
Guest_budsy in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, can us Aussie punters follow you in Hong Kong? On the Web?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes. Go to www.hongkongjockeyclub.com. (http://www.hongkongjockeyclub.com.) They have all racing results and information about premierships, all track work every day of every horse, everything you need to know.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: Shane, thank you for joining us tonight, unfortunately we have run out of time, but I have to ask you the one question everyone wants an answer to ...
PrincessYunitar in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What's your tip for the cup?
Guest Shane Dye says: I liked the run of Beekeeper in the Caulfield Cup. If Kerryn Mcevoy can give him a good ride I'm sure he'll run very well. I also thought Distinctly Secret ran very well in the McKinnon Stakes on Saturday.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: Once again Shane, thank you and goodnight.
Guest Shane Dye says: Goodnight.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: Shane, thank you for joining us tonight on the eve of Melbourne Cup.
Guest Shane Dye says: Nice to be here and I hope I can help everybody.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: We will go directly to the questions from our chat guests who have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what inspired you to become the man you are today?
Guest Shane Dye says: Determination and a desire to succeed and if you do fail, it doesn't matter as long as you try your hardest and that's what I try and do in life.
http://www.saxton.com.au/images/speakers/Dye.jpg
Guest_Bill in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Shane, your drive and passion is inspirational. When are you going to write a motivational biography-type book?
Guest Shane Dye says: I've had a lot of offers to write books before but I've always felt it hasn't been the right career move. A motivational book for myself would be easy to write but I've never really wanted to write about my career because I feel it hasn't finished yet.
Guest_Elana34® in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Congratulations on your success in Hong Kong, Shane. Any plans to return to riding back in Australia?
Guest Shane Dye says: Definitely one day but not in the near future. I would like to ride 100 group one winners in Australia so I've still got about 10 to go.
Guest_Jenny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what do miss most about Oz?
Guest Shane Dye says: Definitely Australia's lifestyle is sensational; the country is the best … and of course my son, Nicholas.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Do you see yourself riding in another country other than HK, Australia and NZ?
Guest Shane Dye says: At this stage of my life, no, but I have had offers since being in Hong Kong to ride in other parts of the world.
Guest_Panda in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What's it like being in the spotlight there? Being so addicted to gambling like the Chinese are, do you ever fear for your safety if you have a huge run of outs on favorites?
Guest Shane Dye says: You only feel for your safety if you mix with the wrong people and are doing the wrong thing so if you are doing nothing wrong and getting beaten on favourites, your safety is 100 percent secure, I believe.
Guest_Anne in NineMSN_Events2 asks: There have been some harsh penalties dealt out to Australian jockeys in Hong Kong in previous years — would that make you return to Australia if, say, a nine-month riding penalty was given to you?
Guest Shane Dye says: I wouldn't have an option apart from going to Australia as the Hong Kong Jockey Club licenses me. It is their decision whether I stay or go from Hong Kong. Even if I want to stay and they say I can't, I have to leave. So as long as the HK Jockey Club wants me in HK riding, I'll be here.
Guest_craig in NineMSN_Events1 asks: How does the training set up over there differ to say the Crown Lodge group over here, who you rode for with great success in the past?
Guest Shane Dye says: Hong Kong is completely different. Every trainer is only allowed 60 horses at year to train at any time. Every one is in the same situation, the same stables, the same work facilities, the same staff. Everyone is on level par in Hong Kong, that's why ability will always shine through for a trainer or a jockey.
Guest_michael in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Do you think riding in Hong Kong improves jockeys?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes. If you have a look at the jockeys from Australia that have left and gone back — Corey Brown, Steven King, Damien Oliver, Darren Beadman etc, they have always gone back and ridden better and with more success than when they left.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what in Hong Kong racing could Australia racing learn from?
Guest Shane Dye says: To listen to the people in the industry. Australian officials do not listen to the people in their industry (trainers, owners, jockeys, punters). In Hong Kong, if there is a problem it is fixed straight away. I find in Australia if there is a problem it is passed onto someone else and it doesn't get fixed straight away (something wrong with the track, safety issues etc).
Guest_Danny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: At the HK International meetings, do you barrack for the Aussies or the locals? (If you don't have a mount.)
Guest Shane Dye says: Naturally I'm still an Australasian at heart so I want to see our horses do very well and win. I definitely barrack for the Australasian horses.
Guest_Jockey14 in NineMSN_Events2 asks: How hard is it to get a ride in Hong Kong?
Guest Shane Dye says: Very difficult. A jockey works harder in Hong Kong than anywhere I know. I ride work seven days a week, 12-14 horses a morning and am constantly talking to trainers to put me on and give me a ride. I'm very fortunate that I have John Size behind me so getting rides is a little bit easier when I'm riding for him. Most Hong Kong horses are from Australia, NZ or England, but the horses racing in Australia — the better class ones — are definitely better than ours racing in Hong Kong.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, would you like to take up training?
Guest Shane Dye says: No, it's too hard. You have to put up with jockeys riding bad all the time (ha, ha!).
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, what has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Guest Shane Dye says: Winning your first race is incredible, which happened on December 28, 1982. Also winning a Melbourne Cup on Terrific, four Golden Slippers and a Cox Plate on Octagonal — they were all very special days.
Guest_Kalpi in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What is the longest odds you have ever got home?
Guest Shane Dye says: I can't remember in Australia but last year in Hong Kong I won on a horse that was 130/1.
Guest_Veandacross in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Do you still defend your ride on Veandacross in the Caulfield Cup so many years ago?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes, as I've said before, the track was better out wide — it always is at Caulfield when it's wet. The only thing I may have done wrong was went too soon on the horse.
Guest_Bill in NineMSN_Events2 asks: It's MC time. It was mentioned you'd like to ride Beekeeper … other thoughts on the race?
Guest Shane Dye says: I'm not up to form as well as I used to be but I liked Beekeeper's run in the Caulfield Cup. The English horses will be very hard to beat but Australian horses this year seem to be below par.
Guest_Jockey14 in NineMSN_Events2 asks: How do you feel for Damien Oliver? Has Jason's death affected people as far as Hong Kong?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes it made the news in Hong Kong. Any racing death does. I was very saddened as it wouldn't matter which jockey got killed; it's always very sad when someone dies.
Guest_Danny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, would I be right in saying that there are now two categories of trainers — those who put the horse first, and those that train like running a business and don't place their horses that well?
Guest Shane Dye says: A difficult question to answer but I do know a lot of trainers run their stables as a business and turnover but John Size, who I ride for, is not a business person and he places his horses very well and really does care about their wellbeing.
Guest_Danny in NineMSN_Events1 asks: I probably know what you're going to say, but do you think that a horse carrying bigger weights is better off with a lightweight jockey with lead bags, or a heavyweight jock with no dead weight? (Assuming they are of equal ability.)
Guest Shane Dye says: I'm light, so naturally I'm gonna say it doesn't matter but the best jockey in the world was Willy Shoemaker. He weighed 40 kilos so the horses he rode always had 20 kilos dead weight on their back and he rode more winners than anyone. I don't think anyone really knows the correct answer.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, does the Chinese diet help with the weight?
Guest Shane Dye says: I eat the same food as I did in Australia. I don't eat breakfast or lunch and I eat a normal main meal for dinner whether it be a steak, Chinese or a salad.
Guest_RIP in NineMSN_Events3 asks: Do you ever fear having a fall?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes and any jockey who says they don't, I believe, is lying. It doesn't worry me when I'm out there or before a race but you are conscious of horses around you. Racing is a very dangerous sport where there have been many deaths and no matter what the stewards do to control interference there will always be deaths. Jason Oliver's horse broke its leg and he fell; it's no-one's fault. Then yesterday in Sydney a horse which Brian York was riding also broke its leg and fell and two others went over top of them and fell. Brian may not ride again for a long time and Lenny Beasley, the other jockey, will probably be out for about a year so it wasn't a matter of being safe in a race and interference it was the horse's fault that caused the fall, so naturally I am aware that something one day (touch wood) may happen to myself. I would be silly to think it wouldn't.
Guest_Jockey14 in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Have you ever been injured in a fall or seen someone fall while you were racing against them?
Guest Shane Dye says: I fell in Hong Kong a year ago and fractured two vertebrae, compressed a vertebrae, [received] two fractured ribs and a fractured hip. I've had two race day falls since I've been in Hong Kong; neither fall my fault. Once in NZ I was involved in a fall in which eight horses fell.
Guest_ellenorhel in NineMSN_Events3 asks: Would you like your son to be a jockey?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes but if either of my sons weren't, it wouldn't worry me. Racing has been very good to me. You experience highs and lows and I get an adrenalin rush when I'm riding. If either son wanted to be a jockey I would support them 100 percent but if either son wanted to be a bricklayer or a doctor I would also support them 100 percent.
Guest_shanelle in NineMSN_Events2 asks: What inspired you to become a jockey?
Guest Shane Dye says: I believe I was born to be a jockey. I wanted to ride horses from the time I can remember and the only thing I ever wanted to do was be a jockey. I do not believe anyone inspired me to be a jockey, it was bred into me.
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Who has been the most inspirational person throughout your career?
Guest Shane Dye says: In racing, Davo Sullivan, who I was an apprentice to. I looked up to him and respected him greatly. As a jockey in NZ when I was a child, David Peake. Then it was also Lanso Sullivan. When I went to Australia, Mick Dittman inspired me. He had the whole package as a jockey.
Guest_Nick in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, I am an apprentice jockey with a 2 kilo claim. I am 16 years old and rode a second and third today. What advice could you give me to improve my career?
Guest Shane Dye says: Dress well, talk well; communication is a big thing for a jockey. I believe communication and speaking well is probably more important than race riding. You must get good rides to ride winners and the only way you are going to get that is by talking to trainers and owners. The biggest tip I can give you in race riding would be not to panic in a race and be patient and if you are not riding winners, do not go on holiday, go to the track before anyone in the morning and work harder than you have ever worked before so you can get better rides.
Guest_Simmo in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What's the one characteristic you want your horses to have?
Guest Shane Dye says: To relax in a race. I believe if a horse relaxes in a race, he will finish the last 400 metres very strongly so I try to get a horse to relax more than anything in a race.
Guest_SHOGUN in NineMSN_Events2 asks: I was just wondering what the best horse you have ridden was?
Guest Shane Dye says: Many. Octagonal, Tie the Knot, Super Imposed, Let's Elope, Tierce, Bonecrusher, Dainwin, and that's just to name a few. Octagonal had the biggest heart.
Guest_Taylorbree in NineMSN_Events2 asks: How do the stewards in Hong Kong compare to Australia?
Guest Shane Dye says: Now, in Hong Kong most of the stewards are from Australia whereas three years ago they were not. John Schreck is the chief steward here and I believe he is one of the best stewards I have ever ridden under.
Guest_octagonal in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Shane, can you stay indefinitely in Hong Kong as long as you like? Or does a licence period apply?
Guest Shane Dye says: I get licensed yearly. I have a licence to ride until the end of the season, which ends on June 20, and then I have to reapply to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. If I have not behaved myself or haven't ridden enough winners they will not license me the following year.
Guest_Arny in NineMSN_Events2 asks: Sounds like you're pretty busy with it all Shane. Any time for social activities?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes, movies. During the day I must have a sleep because I only sleep at night because of the heat. I'm up at 4.30am and I finish track work about 9am. I have entries twice a week where I must be at home to answer the phone and get the field for the next week's races on a Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday night I don't go to bed; we have Happy Valley races. By the time I get home, it's normally 1am and I'm too hyper to sleep. You can't come home from a night's racing and go to bed straight away so Thursday after track work I try to have a good sleep. Because my job is so physical, I like to save my energy and not do many outside sports.
Guest_curiosty in NineMSN_Events1 asks: To go to Hong Kong, was it a money thing mainly or to add to your list of achievements?
Guest Shane Dye says: The money did not come into it. At the time I needed a change from Sydney racing and no Australian rider, I believe, has succeeded in a long time and won a premiership in Hong Kong and I wanted to come here and win a premiership. If I don't do it, it doesn't matter but I am desperately trying and working very hard to win one. In my first season in HK, I finished fifth in the premiership and last season I finished second so with hard work and determination hopefully this year I will win it. But Douglas White (the leading jockey in Hong Kong) is an outstanding jockey, one of the best I've ever seen and unfortunately works just as hard as me, if not harder! So he is going to be very hard to beat.
Guest_shane in NineMSN_Events4 asks: Shane, could you please tell me if it is possible to start a career as a jockey at the age of 30 years of age if you are a natural lightweight?
Guest Shane Dye says: It would be very difficult because your best years are your 30s and you have to start from scratch and the apprenticeship is four years but in saying that, nothing in life is impossible and if you are determined and want to do it and it is a dream of yours, don't let anyone stop you. Go ahead and do it before it will be too late.
Guest_loren_jayde in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, where do you see yourself in say 10 years?
Guest Shane Dye says: I have thought about that a lot lately and I don't know. Basil Marcus was the leading rider in Hong Kong until three seasons ago. He retired last year at 46 years of age. Maybe I may still be in Hong Kong, I may be in Australia, I don't know.
Guest_budsy in NineMSN_Events1 asks: Shane, can us Aussie punters follow you in Hong Kong? On the Web?
Guest Shane Dye says: Yes. Go to www.hongkongjockeyclub.com. (http://www.hongkongjockeyclub.com.) They have all racing results and information about premierships, all track work every day of every horse, everything you need to know.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: Shane, thank you for joining us tonight, unfortunately we have run out of time, but I have to ask you the one question everyone wants an answer to ...
PrincessYunitar in NineMSN_Events1 asks: What's your tip for the cup?
Guest Shane Dye says: I liked the run of Beekeeper in the Caulfield Cup. If Kerryn Mcevoy can give him a good ride I'm sure he'll run very well. I also thought Distinctly Secret ran very well in the McKinnon Stakes on Saturday.
Guide_OC_amicus in NineMSN_Events says: Once again Shane, thank you and goodnight.
Guest Shane Dye says: Goodnight.