Cheltenham Festival: Jockey turned agent Ian Popham hoping to make a champion of Harry Skelton
The former rider now looks after 28 jockeys in his new role
FOR more than a decade he risked life and limb in the saddle – now the worst Ian Popham is in danger of is an ear-bashing.
Yet, ten months into his new life as an agent, there has been no fielding calls from disgruntled jocks unhappy at missing a winner.
The way Popham has started his fresh career, there would appear to be no chance of that changing.
This time last year he was still a jockey himself. But as he recovered from a smashed shoulder – he finally decided enough was enough.
At 28, his riding days were over after a litany of injuries, including a twice shattered pelvis, a broken jaw, a fractured cheekbone . . . more breaks than a snooker world champion.
It had been a decent career, riding in Grand Nationals, Grade 1s, different countries, big race winners – and 150 of them in all.
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But Popham has never been content with just getting by, and as the rides – and winners – dried up, he knew it was time to look for a life out of the saddle.
Now he is making a name for himself as a jockeys’ agent.
Popham revealed how it all came about – and how those early-morning starts are now even earlier.
He said: “All I ever wanted to be was a jockey and I was lucky enough to have 12 years at it – just unfortunate with injuries.
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“I was out for nine months with a broken pelvis at one stage, and that means you lose your rides and it’s hard to get them back.
“It meant I kept losing any real momentum, so last January, when I was out injured again, I decided that was enough.
“Another fall left me with a broken and dislocated shoulder and while I was out I did a bit of training with the Jockeys Employment Training Scheme. Let’s face it, unless you’re a Richard Johnson, you are still going to need to work.
“When I was riding, Dave Roberts and Chris Broad were pretty much the only jump jockeys’ agents, so I thought there could be a gap in the market – and went for it.
“Chris has been a huge help to me and we still speak nearly every day. In fact when he took a month off in September, I looked after all his jockeys.
“That was a real boost. He thought enough of me to let me handle the likes of Sam Twiston-Davies and Noel Fehily and it was huge for my confidence.
“When I started out in May I had six jockeys, but now I’m up to 28, and it’s an entirely different way of life.
“I’m out first thing for the paper, and ringing around straight away, and it really gets busy when the declarations come through at 10.30am.
“In the past I would read the Racing Post to see if they’d written anything nice about me – now I’m straight to the decs and entries.
“It’s all about those five-day decs, and knowing who might be riding what and where. It’s about having an idea of where the next winner is coming from.
“The amount of detail you’re looking at means the hours just race past. The phone is on 24-seven.
“But I’m really enjoying it and hopefully people are happy with what I’m doing.”
The one riding more than anyone bar Johnson is Harry Skelton, Popham’s best mate from days they house-shared when they were both working for Paul Nicholls. The dream is to one day help his pal become champion jockey.
Popham added: “When I was first thinking of the new career I had a chat to Harry and with him riding for his brother Dan, he didn’t have a lot to lose by using me.
“I’d love to see Harry become champion and play a part in that. Whatever I have done, I’ve always wanted to be the best I possibly could.
“The one thing I do still miss, though, is the actual riding – although, when it is pouring with rain, probably not quite so much!”