Leading NT jockey Jarrod Todd unlikely to forget 2021/22 season

[Wandering Eyes]

Darwin-based jockey Jarrod Todd celebrates with champion NT trainer Gary Clarke after they combined to win the 2022 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) with Count Of Essex at Pioneer Park in May.

He is the leading jockey in the Top End and has enjoyed a successful period in recent times, but Jarrod Todd is unlikely to forget the 2021/22 season anytime soon.

Unlikely the 34-year-old will forget the 2022 Darwin Cup Carnival either after winning 15 of the 59 races conducted during eight race meetings at Fannie Bay throughout July and on August 1.

The former Victorian jockey, who arrived in Australia from New Zealand 12 years ago, won four Cup Carnival feature races for champion Darwin trainer and his boss Gary Clarke.

Playoffs won the $60,000 Chief Ministers Cup (1600m), Autocratic saluted in the $40,000 Darwin Corporate Park Cup (1300m), Syncline took out the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) and Playoffs backed up to seal the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m).

For the record, Todd also finished second aboard the Clarke-trained Wolfburn in the $135,000 NT Derby (2050m).

Boarding flights to ride at the Darwin and Alice Springs Cup Carnivals started in 2014 before Todd and his family relocated to the Northern Territory in early 2018.

Todd actually won the 2017 Darwin Cup aboard Victorian stayer Royal Request for Kyneton trainer Neil Dyer.

After a stint in the Red Centre, the Todds headed north to Darwin in early May at the completion of the 2018 Alice Springs Cup Carnival.

At the end of the 2018/19 season Todd (24) finished second in the Top End and Country jockey’s premiership behind Brendon Davis (30), whom Todd would later replace as Clarke’s No.1 jockey after Davis relocated to Queensland.

Todd initially rode for Phil Cole when he arrived in Darwin.

He won his first jockey’s premiership at the end of the 2019/20 season with 33 winners before going back to back after booting home 58 winners during the 2020/21 campaign.

The title was successfully defended once again after registering 44 wins for the 2021/22 season.

Clarke made it 10 straight Top End and Country trainer’s premierships with 55 winners for the season and dominated the Darwin Cup Carnival with 17 winners.

Todd is the first to admit that he is a very lucky man to be riding for Clarke, but despite all of his success he got a dose of reality and his perspective on life became a lot clearer after winning the Darwin Cup.

The win by Playoffs was highly emotional for the Clarke family, as well as close friends, with many breaking down following the passing of Gary and wife Sharlene’s son Guy last November.

“Words can’t describe how good that is, especially when you know the Clarkes have been through a hell of a year,” Todd said in the Fannie Bay mounting yard at the time.

“Success like this can never bring anything back or change anything, but it just shows you how good a trainer Gary is.”

Todd confessed that there were a few quiet celebratory drinks after the Cup Carnival, while those connected with the Clarke stable also had lunch with some of the owners a few days later.

And despite enjoying tremendous success where it also got extremely busy Todd admitted that it has been pretty quiet thus allowing everyone the opportunity to recover.

“We’re just pleased to have had such a successful Carnival,” he said.

“With runs like that you don’t want them to be over.”

Apart from the Darwin Cup and Palmerston Sprint wins, Todd derived immense satisfaction when he piloted Count Of Essex to victory for Clarke in the $110,000 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) in May.

“That was my first Alice Springs Cup as well as Gary’s – that was the one race that had eluded Gary as a trainer,” he said.

“I’m really proud and privileged to be the person that can now tell people that I won Gary’s first Alice Springs Cup – it was pretty special.

“I was rapt and then to follow up to get the Darwin Cup and Palmerston Sprint was just a magnificent feat which is pretty hard to do all in the one year.”

No doubt Todd and Clarke were hopeful of having a good Cup Carnival, but did they exceed their expectations?

“No matter what anyone says, you’re only as good as the horse underneath you,” Todd said.

“At the end of the day you’ve still got to front up and get results.

“If you have some nice horses with ability it definitely helps and gives you confidence.

“You’ve got quality horses that can help you get the job done.

“I’m really lucky the Clarkes have got super owners and super horses – they’ve got a great team.

“Just to be their No.1 rider is a big thrill for me – I’m just rapt that I can re-pay them with some of these bigger races and through the faith that they’ve put on me by putting me on their horses.

“It’s worked out really well and all I can say is that I can’t thank the Clarkes enough.

“They’re obviously massive supporters of mine and I obviously work for them, but all the accolades go to them and I couldn’t be more stoked just to be a part of it.

“They’re just an amazing family and to achieve what they have achieved in a really hard year for the family just goes to prove how good of a family and support group they are.

“Gary is an outstanding trainer and the results speak for itself.”

Looking to the future Todd hopes to emulate his success in the next 12 months, and he also hopes to tick off one item from his bucket list.

“The three races that have eluded me in the NT were the Sprints in Alice Springs and Darwin, and the Alice Springs Cup,” he said.

“I’ve ticked the Alice Springs Cup and Palmerston Sprint off.

“Now I’ve just got to try and get myself a Pioneer Sprint – that’s the one we’ll hopefully get next year.

“If you could have half the year I’ve had you’d be rapt and to get the success we’ve had it’s just been overwhelming.”

Refreshed, it’s back to business for Todd and the Clarke stable when they take a team 300km down the Stuart Highway for the annual Katherine Cup Day.

Vallabar, who finished third behind stablemate Playoffs in the Darwin Cup, will line up in the $25,000 Katherine Cup (1700m) with Todd in the saddle.

“We’ve got a couple of nice chances going there, so hopefully we can have a bit of luck in Katherine – that would just top it off beautifully,” he said.

“On its last run, Vallabar is definitely a chance in the Cup and he has proven on his runs in Darwin that he handles the dirt which is a positive.

“He obviously goes up in weight, but it’s probably a drop down in class from the Darwin Cup – so it sort of matches out evenly and he only has to continue running like he has to be very hard to beat.”

Last year at Fannie Bay, Todd injured his left knee after falling from a horse following a trial in February before being involved in a three-horse fall along with fellow jockeys Brendan Sweeney and Kim Gladwin in June where he suffered a hand injury.

The hand injury didn’t take long to heel, but it was revealed later after extensive physio and further testing that Todd had torn both muscles each side of his knee, torn his calf muscle and had completely snapped his ACL.

Somehow he decided against having an operation when his physio found it hard to believe that he could even walk and according to Todd the knee feels pretty much back to normal.

Along with wife Andrea and kids Jacob, Madeline and Sebastian, the Todds are content and are happily enjoying life on their five acre property at Herbert on the outskirts of Darwin.

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