The life of a heavyweight jockey can be one of extremes, but new boy Nash Rawiller says he is willing to sacrifice opportunities for the sake of strength and sustainability in his first full season in Hong Kong.
The three-time Sydney champion has set his target weight at 122 pounds for his October 5 start, and even though it means the 39-year-old will miss many rides at the lower end of the handicaps, he won't be compromising his skills by excessive "wasting", either.
"I don't think riding lighter than that is the best thing for me," Rawiller said at Sha Tin yesterday. "I am very strong at that weight, can ride with a clear head and most importantly, enjoy my job. When you start riding too light it can become a real chore and effect how well you ride.
"I can ride lighter, but it is something I have to set myself for. I can get down to 119 pounds but it becomes difficult and it can have a see-saw effect in the weeks after that."
Rawiller was due to begin on Sunday after a stint in Japan, but a suspension incurred in his last ride there, a Group Three victory, has delayed his start and also cost him opportunities in Australia.
He is trying to make the best of a bad situation though, using the time off formal racing to forge working relationships with trainers at trackwork.
"I've got to try to turn it into a positive," he said.
"I've got 21/2 weeks to work hard here in the morning and get to know as many people as I can. Hopefully, I can get a good grounding and I'm trying to spread myself around as much as I can."
Rawiller competed in the International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley in 2010, winning a race, and it has been a long-held ambition to ride at Sha Tin and Happy Valley regularly.
He follows in the footsteps of many jockeys to successfully switch from Sydney to Sha Tin, including defending champion Zac Purton, and most recently Hugh Bowman, who rode 13 winners in a short stint at the end of last season. Unlike Bowman, Rawiller is making Hong Kong his home and has brought his family, wife Sarah and children Caitlin and Campbell.
"It is something I have always wanted to do, but it has taken me a long time to get here," said Rawiller, who has ridden more than 2,100 winners, including 58 Group Ones.
"My career didn't really take off into well into my 20s, and I had to work very hard to get to the next level, so I tried to capitalise on those chances and keep what I had," he said.
"My career snowballed, and with a young family and as one of the leading jockeys in Sydney, that cemented me there and took travelling out of the equation.
"It's only in the past 12 months I have tried to re-focus on the bigger picture."
