Eighteen months after fracturing her skull in a horrific race fall at Scone, Jenny Duggan has celebrated the biggest win of her career with victory aboard Torrens in the Listed City Tattersalls Club Cup at Randwick.
The triumph capped a remarkable comeback for the mother of three, who also suffered a broken nose, concussion and bleeding on the brain in the May 2020 incident but was determined to return to the saddle.
“I was always so determined, even if I only had to have one ride back, I had to come back,” Duggan said.
“I know people think that’s strange but when it’s a passion involved, it’s so much easier.
“My Mum didn’t want me to ride again. She was begging and she was very upset but ever since I was little, she knows I go my own way and here I am.”
Duggan lives on the NSW Central Coast and with jockeys split into zones during the COVID-19 pandemic, she made the decision to ride in the Sydney bubble.
The mature-aged apprentice has been in terrific form and the win by the Lauri Parker-trained Torrens’ in Saturday’s 2400m race was her fourth metropolitan success this month but more importantly, her first black-type victory.
“Can you believe that just happened?” a delighted Duggan asked on return to scale.
“It feels amazing. Coming back from injury is always testing.
“To start off, I knew it was going to be hard to get rides. Now the zones are opening up, which is amazing, but I think the zones helped me to get a good kickalong.
“Lauri (Parker nee Wray) and I, we used to ride together years and years ago when she was an apprentice and I’m so grateful to her for giving me this opportunity.”
Duggan said she was confident Torrens would run well after watching his last start when he was hitting his straps late behind Warning in the St Leger Stakes, but punters weren’t as sure, sending him around as a $20 chance.
He downed Savvy Valentino ($16) to score by three-quarters of a length with Zeyrek ($3.40 fav) another 3-1/2 lengths in arrears.
