Steely resolve of Mr Nice Guy

13 April 2012

True grit makes true champions, and, with the new Flat season nearly upon us, Kevin Darley needs enough to lay a driveway and prove he has the determination to repel all challenges after he landed his first jockeys' title last term.

Fate has dealt Darley a vicious blow just before the curtain goes up on the new season at Doncaster on Thursday. He broke his right wrist in a fall on the gallops at Gerard Butler's at the weekend and faces a frustrating fortnight on the sidelines while his rivals steal a march on him.

Critics will point to Kieren Fallon's serious injury which kept him out of the running for a major slice of Millennium year and say that but for his absence Darley would not be wearing the crown. Yet the northern-based rider is bracing himself to take on a rejuvenated Fallon, hungry to win back what he regards as his personal property.

Just when the reigning champ needed to get off the blocks fast, he got an unlucky break. But it will not stop the butcher's son from showing the dogged resolve that won him the bone in the first place and, bull terrier-like, defy anyone intent on taking it away from him.

"I won it fair and square last year and I intend to keep it," he says with a touch of dourness which seems out of keeping with his usual affability.

Winning the title despite a strong challenge at the end from Richard Quinn, with the mighty Henry Cecil stable behind him, and veteran Pat Eddery, has added an edge to Darley's character.

Flat racing's Mr Nice Guy may still wear a smile on the outside, but underneath he has a steely determination.

Darley says: "I was probably guilty of being introverted and I'm not sure I express myself properly - that probably didn't help me in the past. I was a bit too quiet."

His winter trip to Singapore did not work out and he left after getting only a few rides, but his chances of retaining the title then received a boost.

Mark Johnston, numerically the strongest trainer in the north of England with a string of 180 horses, put Darley at the head of the stable's pecking order, along with Darryll Holland for the coming campaign.

Darley's agent Terry Norman has made up for his jockey's natural reticence in the past and galvanised him towards the title last term.

He revealed: "I call my kind of planning for Kevin 'the flea syndrome' where we get on the back of one trainer, and when it is time, hop on to another. However, a flea can run out of dogs to hop on to."

That does not look like being the case this season, though. Besides the backing of Johnston, Darley will also be used regularly by handlers Tim Easterby, Gerard Butler and Nick Littmoden, among many others.

Ironically, prior to his accident, Darley was race-fit for the coming season having ridden winners on the all-weather surface .

Darley and Fallon were due to cross swords, not at Doncaster, but at the World Cup meeting in Dubai this weekend when the former was due to ride Pipalong for Tim Easterby.

Despite his ground-breaking title triumph, prior to his injury, Darley was only 3-1 third favourite with bookmakers Coral for the championship this season, behind the odds-on Fallon and Quinn (3-1).

Betting on the title race has now been suspended but Darley does not regard himself as a longshot shot and says: "It's obviously going to be even harder with Kieren going all out for it.

"But, as I've said, I won't be doing anything differently. I will be chasing around because I survive on winners."

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Steely resolve of Mr Nice Guy

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