Racing: Battle-scarred jockey seeks first city win in four years

BRISBANE - The cheers will be heard from New Zealand to far north Queensland if popular Gold Coast jockey Justin Stanley makes a successful city comeback at Eagle Farm today.

Stanley's career looked to be over when he was involved in a horrific four-horse fall at the Gold Coast in December 2005.

It left him with a fractured skull, bruising to the brain, a broken jaw in two places and knee and collarbone fractures.

Stanley spent more than three years recovering from his injuries and was about a month away from making his riding comeback in March last year when he suffered a broken leg riding work for his former boss Garry Newham in New Zealand.

Stanley spent a further six months on the sidelines with the broken leg before finally making his long-awaited return at the Ballina Cup meeting in September last year. Since then he decided to pack his bags and try his luck in far north Queensland before returning to New Zealand to resume riding work for Newham until last month.

"I wasn't ready to pick up the pieces and put in 100 per cent to get my weight down after I broke my leg," Stanley said. "So I decided to go back again to my old boss and just ride work in New Zealand.

"Before that I rode in north Queensland around Townsville and the bush tracks because I was too heavy.

"All-up I spent about six months in New Zealand and I rode for four months around Townsville, but now I'm back home on the Gold Coast and I plan to get stuck into it."

Today, it will all be worthwhile if the Les Kelly-trained Little Ned wins the Australian Special Metals Maiden Plate (1000m).

- AAP