Gazing across the red dirt racecourse at the 2021 Roma Cup, Ross Tilley felt lucky to be alive let alone riding in the main race.
Over the past 12 years he has overcome physical injuries – a smashed femur and L1 vertebrae – but it was his battle against the demon drink that threatened to derail his decorated career.
On weekdays, Ross would drink eight stubbies, as well as pre-mixed scotch and cola, while on both Saturday and Sunday he would consume two cartons of beer.
He said It took a nervous breakdown, a week in hospital and some sobering words from long-term partner, Carmel Baker, a horse trainer, to snap the insidious cycle of addiction.
“The bottle got me,” said Ross, the father of well-known Queensland jockey Les “Bubba” Tilley.
“Then Carmel said, ‘you’ve got to get better for yourself, not for me, not for the kids, for yourself’. That was six years ago and I’ve not touched a drop of alcohol since.”
Ross, 56, has lived in Charleville for 30 years but began his riding career as an apprentice for Ross Stitt in Taree on the mid-NSW north coast at the age of 15.
“I am the youngest of 10 children and all dad wanted was for one of us to be a jockey. I was the one who loved working with horses and the rest is history,” he said.
“From the age of four or five we would travel to my aunty’s house for Christmas in Broken Hill where she raced horses and, I think, my interest started from there.
“One of her horses, Brown Ben, happened to win one year, which is always good!”
Having not ridden since 2009, Ross tentatively returned to track work in 2020.
“Carmel had a quiet horse in work at the time so I just threw my leg over it,” he said. “And, because I had given up drinking, I thought, ‘this feels alright’.
“I applied for my (jockey) licence because Carmel was having trouble finding a jockey out in the country and we went from there.”
Ross’s trusty Nissan Patrol – which has clocked some 360,000 kilometres – delivers him to race meetings across the Queensland bush.
He has ridden almost 700 winners in his career and “has lost count” of the jockey premierships won in Charleville.
“I ride at all the places – Charleville, Cunnamulla, Tambo, Morven, Augathella, Quilpie, Mitchell, Roma, Barcaldine, Blackall, Longreach – there’s plenty of driving involved.”
In November 2021, Ross made the six-hour return car trip to Roma to ride against his son Bubba for just the second time.
Bubba won the Roma Cup on favourite Tears Of Love, while Ross’s mount Itsallkay (trained by Carmel) finished almost 25 lengths off the winner.
It mattered little though.
“Racing is my life and it feels good to be back in the saddle,” Ross said.
“And, I’m so happy for Bubba. He’s going real good and, at 27 (years-old), has his best racing years ahead. I’m proud of him.”
The next race meeting at the Central Warrego Race Club in Charleville is on 14 May.
