Jockey told twice by doctors he’ll never race again — and twice he’s proved them wrong
WHEN a 500kg horse stumbled and fell at the start of a race at Turffontein, then rolled over Donovan Habib, the young jockey felt a bit sore. But medical checks didn’t pick up an injury and Donovan was soon back racing.
For a while. Severe pain prompted a more thorough scan, which detected an extensive hip fracture. Two major operations had little effect and the 28-year-old was told he’d never ride again. Oh, and he might never walk again.
A hip replacement was not advised at his age — and anyway the fibre-glass joint would be too fragile for bouncing around on a rampaging steed.
Donovan dropped out of racing for years. But he didn’t drop the dream, and when he heard of a revolutionary titanium-steel hip replacement for athletes he jumped at it, so to speak.
After the op, and two more years of rehab to settle in the shiny new ball ’n socket, he raced again — to the disbelief of medical boffins.
All went well for nearly three years; then a horse ducked in a race at the Vaal and parted company with our hero. Donovan’s foot encountered a post, hammered his tibia into his knee-joint and broke bone. The metal hip was unmoved.
“You’ll never ride again. Oh, and your knee might ne’er bend again.” Is that so?
Donovan has been back in the saddle for five months now — after 16 months’ recovery from reconstructive surgery involving more metal. He’s booted home a cool 40 winners in that time.
A body — and a will — of steel? Well yes, but you’d hardly believe it to meet the self-effacing guy.
“In my mind I guess I’m not ready to stop riding yet. I love it so much,” he says. “I love horses; I’ve a knack with them. We reach out to each other. Horses respect people who respect them.”
These are forgiving words about beasts that have lost him six full years of a 20-year career so far. “I feel I was born to do this,” he says.
Now 40, he’s hoping for a bonus five more years’ riding. Few jocks go much beyond 50 anyway.
Donovan has 970 career winners and his immediate target is the magic 1000 mark — reached by relatively few riders.
Then he wants to top his own season record of 101 victories.
But he’s spooked about race riding now, right? Nope.
“Adrenaline takes over. You can’t get nervous and hold back. I’ve never had that feeling. Racing just seems a natural thing.”
Whether this reflects bravery or foolhardiness I don’t know, but I do know that jockeys have one of the most dangerous vocations in the world. In what other line of work does a speeding ambulance follow you about as you do your job?
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