“RACING has been extremely good to me.”
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Moree’s Danny Frahm said this after celebrating his 70th birthday this week.
But looking back at his 50-year career as a jockey in the horse racing industry, Danny said he wouldn’t change a thing if he had to go back and do it all over again.
Apart from maybe the two broken necks.
Danny’s love of racing flourished at the young age of 14.
“After I started my apprenticeship I raced in Goondiwindi, then went back riding in Brisbane and from Brisbane I went back to Gundy and eventually to Inverell,” he said.
After dabbling in a few wins throughout the Moree region he headed to Barraba.
“I spent 14 years riding for the Smith family. They bred some really good race horses and I had quite a few wins during those years,” Danny said.
His next calling was in New Caledonia where he stayed for six months before returning to Barraba.
“I tell you racing takes you everywhere. I then traveled around Townsville then in 1986 I went back to New Caledonia where I met Mireille.”
Mireille and Danny focused on racing in Tamworth, and then in 1990 he had a kidney removal.
“That was hard for Danny because he had to have six months off riding,” Mireille said.
Five years later, he received a call from the Sinclair family in Moree asking if he would ride a number of horses, and Danny went on to win more than 1000 races.
“I’ve been riding almost 50 years, and after two broken necks and some other health complications, I decided at the age of 59 to retire,” he said.
Danny’s most successful horses were ‘Jimalong’ and ‘River Ridge’.
“Jimalong was the best horse I’ve ever ridden. I won the Lightning Stakes on him. It was a highlight of my career.”
Danny and Mireille, through their years of traveling, chose to stay in Moree after retirement.
“We just love the country. The people are friendly and the community are one of a kind. I’ve had a wonderful career and have been pretty lucky to experience different places.
“But there is just no place like the country.”