In most sports reaching the 40 milestone is the beginning of the end, and while many riders may be past their prime, there are a few notable exceptions who keep resisting father time. Hong Kong-based pair Douglas Whyte and Olivier Doleuze are both 41 and remain top five fixtures in the most competitive jockeys’ premiership in the world, while in Europe Frankie Dettori (42) and Johnny Murtagh (43) can still be counted on in a big race.

Instead of Australian IJC representive Kerrin McEvoy, his 55-year-old countryman Robert Thompson would do a fine job, and actually graced the tracks of Hong Kong once upon a time as stable rider for Neville Begg. A gentleman of the turf and Hunter Valley legend, Thompson has the record for most wins by an Australian jockey, rode a treble during the week at Muswellbrook and is closing in on 4,000 career wins.

Of course as age advances, so does the possibility of injury, as Cassidy found out this week. This is where our selection criteria (being old) becomes somewhat problematic. “The Pumper” was forced to forgo rides yesterday at Warwick Farm because of injuries sustained in two celebratory bear hug incidents. First Zoustar’s then-owner Sheriff Iskander put Cassidy in a camel clutch after the win, before Sydney racing media personality Richard Callander finished the job with a wrestling hold of his own. “It started last Saturday with Zoustar, and then ‘Richie’ topped it off,” Cassidy told media, nursing a sore chest.

Injury would also stop the “world’s most winningest jockey” 52-year-old Jorge Ricardo from taking part. Ricardo has been locked in a decades long dual with a fellow ISJC invitee, Canadian Russell Baze (55) to retire with the most career victories. Both Ricardo and Baze have more than 12,000 wins each, but Ricardo is recovering from a recent fall. It’s a pity because Moreira’s absence leaves space for a Brazilian representative.

Assuming we could get them all in one place and healthy, that’s nine of the 12. We are struggling now given the injury toll, so we have to bend the rules a little and also seek sponsorship from an anti-inflammatory company. Japanese legend Yutake Take goes in at just 44, justified because he looks at least 70.

For the final spots we might be scraping the barrel, and a couple of ‘feel good’ picks are required. The US has the most races per year, and the biggest overall racing population, so it’s no surprise that’s where we found a couple of perfect candidates.

Illinois legend RA “Cowboy” Jones gets a guernsey at 70, although he won’t get as much cooperation at Happy Valley as he seemed to have earlier this year when attempting to become the first jockey to win a race in seven different decades.

Jockeys at Fairmount Park were grilled in July when stewards smelt some fishy tactics in a claiming race “Cowboy” was involved in. Officials suspected riders over a lack of vigor in the closing stages of the lowly US$5,000 event, it seemed rivals were “putting one on” for their old mate, so Cowboy was a “one goer” and even then he couldn’t win.

For the final entrant we will need to over-turn a decision by officials at Suffolk Downs racecourse in East Boston and allow 76-year-old Frank Amonte Sr. a spot. Amonte (don’t forget the senior) is already believed to be the oldest jockey to ride in an official US race, but was denied a licence to return last year when officials deemed him “too dangerous”. His wayward navigation would add an element of unpredictability to proceeding at the tight circuit.

One thing that shouldn’t ever change about the IJC is the inclusion of the top local jockey, and this season it seems almost certain that Keith Yeung Ming-lun will take that coveted position from Matthew Chadwick.

So Yeung would go in ahead of Amante Sr. and the baby-faced, 25-year-old would line up against the most cunning and crafty group of pilots assembled since the Dambusters. Even without age restrictions, the way Stevens and Smith are flying at the moment, they are likely to teach the youngsters a lesson or two at the IJC.