TROUBLESOME SHOULDER CAUSES “DIGGER” TO CALL IT A DAY

IT’S not the way he wanted to finish, but the riding career of one of racing’s great characters is over.

At 54, Darryl “Digger” McLellan, for so many years regarded as one of the country’s best lightweight jockeys, has called time and decided to hang up his riding boots.

A troublesome left shoulder has influenced the Newcastle jockey to pull the pin and not renew his licence in the new season beginning on August 1.

McLellan’s last ride was at Taree on June 30 when he tailed the field of 13 on $61 outsider Saville Street in a Benchmark 50 Handicap (1000m).

His last winner was a day earlier at Coffs Harbour; on $2.40 favorite Zelestial in a Class 1 Handicap (1400m).

McLellan injured his left shoulder at Newcastle’s Boxing Day meeting in 2011 when dislodged from his mount Double Your Money, which broke down badly, rupturing his near fore suspensory ligament, and was humanely put down.

The shoulder had given him grief previously. He put up with the pain for 12-18 months after the Boxing Day mishap before undergoing further surgery.

It flared again when McLellan was dislodged from his mount Orphan Ellie, which began to buck soon after the start of the opening race at Port Macquarie on December 29 last year.

McLellan With Paul Perry (right) & Then Stable Foreman Keyren Forbes

“I was in terrible pain then,” he said today. “I thought the shoulder had completely come away, but thankfully it was intact.”

McLellan didn’t return until May 31 with two bookings at Tamworth and, after 20 further rides, says he has had enough.

“I just don’t want to continue riding and risk doing further damage to the shoulder,” he said today.

“Even last week I partially dislocated the shoulder picking up our dog.

“It took at least a day for it to settle down, and that really made up my mind.

“In myself I’m still fit and healthy, other than the shoulder, and had planned to continue riding for a while yet.

“But I wasn’t going to take the chance of riding again and risk not having proper movement of my shoulder to do other things for the rest of my life.”

McLellan isn’t sure how many winners he has ridden in a career which began in 1989, but feels the number would be approaching 2000.

Michael Beattie, then stewards’ chairman of the Newcastle, Central Coast and Hunter region (now Clarence River Jockey Club chief executive at his native Grafton), arranged for a youthful McLellan to leave Newcastle and join Muswellbrook trainer Pat Farrell’s “reform school”.

McLellan Partnering Henderson Bay To Victory in 2002 Sydney Cup

Farrell had built a reputation as a master tutor of apprentices (Melbourne Cup winning jockey Wayne Harris being one of his proteges).

“I was a naughty boy, and Michael sent me to Pat, whose bark was worse than his bite,” McLellan recalled.

“He was great.”

Under Farrell’s tutelage, McLellan rode a swag of winners, capturing a Sydney apprentices’ premiership whilst based in the country.

It was a rare feat, and Scone-based Braith Nock is on the verge of repeating that outstanding achievement all these years later.

McLellan’s first winner as a 3kg claimer was Curtain Bluff at the West Tamworth Cup meeting on April 22, 1989.

Whilst he would be the first to agree that his career was interspersed with drama on and off the track, what could never be questioned was his ability to ride.

He won two Group 1s, and 26 (seven Group 2s, five Group 3s and 14 Listed) other feature successes.

McLellan claimed his maiden Group 1 on $21 chance Magic of Money in The Galaxy at Royal Randwick on April 17, 1995 and seven years later won his second there on then Wyong trainer Neville McBurney’s Henderson Bay in the Sydney Cup (3200m).

His obvious talent coupled with the fact he could ride light often enticed John Hawkes as Jack and Bob Ingham’s private trainer at Warwick Farm’s Crown Lodge to seek him for major engagements.

They included winning the 2001 Warwick Stakes on Octagonal’s son Lonhro as a three-year-old with only 49.5kg in the weight-for-age contest. It was his only ride on the champ.

Two years earlier Hawkes also booked him for another three-year-old, Tulloch Stakes winner Lease, in the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap (now Doncaster Mile) at Randwick.

Lease started at $17 in a hot line-up and, after drawing near the outside (18 in a field of 20) ran a great second to the champion Kiwi mare Sunline, who was virtually unbeatable at the time.

He also rode Saintly, the “horse from heaven”, for the legendary Bart Cummings in a Class 1 Handicap (1200m) at Newcastle on September 23, 1995.

Cummings rarely started his horses at Broadmeadow when they drew poorly, especially if the rail was out, because of the then Broadmeadow camber, but chose McLellan to ride the gelding that day for the start of his three-year-old season.

McLellan Aboard Lonhro 2001

Saintly won of course, earning a meagre $3750 first prizemoney, and went on to win an Australian Cup (2000m) and Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington, and Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley amongst other triumphs.

McLellan’s only overseas foray was to Macau, where he spent 10 months in 2002 and rode 70 winners.

For all his success, McLellan has a “soft spot” for his home track triumph on Silent Impact (also prepared by Henderson Bay’s trainer McBurney at the time) when the Newcastle Gold Cup was run on a Saturday in Sydney’s Olympic year (2000).

“I’ll never forget that,” McLellan said. “It was a huge thrill in front of a big crowd at one of the best meetings ever held at Broadmeadow.”

McLellan, who will turn 55 in November, says he isn’t sure at present what the future holds in regards to a career out of the saddle.

“I’m not retiring from a job, and will make up my mind in a month or so,” he said. “But I’m certain about one thing.

“There will definitely be no comeback.”

Story John Curtis, July 18, 2025