Top jockey Prebble calls time on his career

Brett Prebble has not had a ride since February, nor a winner since November which will have made his decision an easier one. He has a successful business which he can now look to grow as well as finishing his long career in one piece. 

In the never-ending battle with the horse racing bookmakers, there are jockeys that you like to have on your side. For those who enjoy betting around the sharp tracks in Hong Kong, Prebble was your man, a solid judge of pace and an all-around talent who perhaps won’t get the credit he deserves given the time he spent racing outside of Australia. 

Three decades of horse racing success 

In a sport that is as dangerous as horse racing can be, three decades of success is an achievement in itself. Prebble rode his first winner at Edenhope in 1993 and had some of the biggest winners of his career at home, including a Caulfield and a Melbourne Cup. 
 
Of course, it was not just Australia where Prebble had success, a large percentage of his winners came in a stint in Hong Kong that saw him salute more than 800 times. While Prebble was based there, he would also ride Group 1 winners in Singapore and Japan to add a truly international touch to his resume. 
 
500 winners came at Sha Tin, the most successful track for Prebble over the course of his career with Flemington the track where he would ride the most winners at home, 205 his total at the Melbourne track.  

Green Moon and the 2012 Melbourne Cup 

A Melbourne Cup win is something on the bucket list of every jockey in Australia and a large percentage of those in other jurisdictions. Only one jockey can have that honour each year so the win in 2012 will have been one of the top moments of a career littered with huge winners.   
 
Owned by Lloyd Williams, Green Moon is one of seven winners of the cup for the property magnate. Prebble timed things perfectly to salute by a length and a half at $20 with the trophy presentation made by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as she was then. She, of course, is busy this week at Royal Ascot where Asfoora saluted on Tuesday as we hoped she would.  
 
Green Moon would head to stud but his only winning offspring so far scored at Limerick in Ireland just last week. He has 19 named progeny but Roman Palace is the only one who has managed to salute, doing so for the second time last Wednesday, just days before her sire’s jockey announced his retirement.  

Is Brett Prebble a Hall of Fame jockey? 

That is an interesting question that is going to potentially split the audience. The main body of his work in terms of the volume of winners and Group 1 success would have Prebble at least on the cusp of a place in the Hall of Fame. 
 
The fact that 40% of his winners came in Hong Kong might be the one thing that holds him back from his place in the hall. He unquestionably had an excellent career and by a lot of metrics will make it, but that volume in a different jurisdiction is going to be a stumbling block compared to those who spent their entire career on Australian soil. We expect that someday Prebble will be honoured with a spot in the Hall of Fame, however, due to his overall achievements. 

46 is not old for a jockey by modern standards but Prebble has felt that this is the right time for him to retire. Doing so on his own terms is a big part of any decision in a dangerous sport and is a big factor. His son Tom is still at the start of his journey so the Prebble name will continue.