Why Paddy Flood believes Wesley Joyce will win the Apprentice Title Paddy Flood has backed Wesley Joyce to win the Irish Apprentice Jockey Title. Speaking on irishracing.com’s Irish Angle show this week, Flood praised Joyce’s return from a horrific fall at Galway in July 2022. The 21-year-old spent over a year on the sidelines with numerous injuries including broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken shoulder and fractured larynx. Joyce Has Something Special Flood has a personal connection with the Limerick native as he spent time with him during his recovery. He said: “I’d love to see Wesley do it too, for everything he’s been through. I know him well from his time in the school - he’s always been a cheeky chappie, full of life. “Honestly, if anyone else had taken the fall he did, they wouldn’t have survived it. But that fella has got something in him - no back down, no give up. “He still can’t really speak properly, but the lads have it figured out in races: Wesley whistles. If he’s coming or under pressure, you’ll hear him whistle, and everyone knows it’s him. That’s amazing - doing 40 mph in a tight bunch, and you hear Wesley’s whistle. That’s something special. “Wouldn’t it be great? He’s not from your traditional racing background, he’s had a tough old road, but he’s made of the right stuff. “He’s only ever wanted to be a jockey, and that’s what he’ll be.” Practise Makes Perfect Journalist Johnny Ward also backed Joyce for the title and explained why he thinks he is special. He explained: “Yeah, I love the Wesley story too. He’s from a tough part of Limerick, and I remember his mother telling me he was riding horses from the age of three. “Joe Canning hitting a ball off the wall and playing with a ball from the age of three. As I get older, I think these really good sports people are down to the practice from an early age. Wesley was on horses from such an early age. “That Galway incident - it’s frightening to think what might have been. “As Paddy said, he’s still soft-spoken and it’s hard to hear him at times, but he’s always smiling, always in good form. “There is a totally different profile of the top three. Robert Whearty is on 22 winners and has been an apprentice for a long time. He’s developed and took the long road. He’s got a lot of experience and improved with time and opportunities. “Wayne Hassett is on 22 winners. Then you have Wesley on 21 and Sam Coen and Nicola Burns on 18 in joint-fourth. It’s a really interesting race. “I love to see these kids coming up. “I imagine with agents as well, a lot of these jockeys are trying to preserve their claim as you don’t want to just blow your load straight away and have everything done.” Special Mention To Mulvany Flood also highlighted the role of trainer Michael Mulvany in Joyce’s return to the top of the game. “I’ve just got to give a mention to Michael Mulvany - he’s done an unbelievable job with Wesley,” Flood explained. “Wesley will tell you himself, when he finished school with us he was still wild, and a town like Kildare can lead you to silly things. “But Michael took him under his wing and made his future, really. It would’ve been easy to just send him away and let someone else deal with him, but he didn’t. Fair play to him. “When he was recovering, he came and lived in the school for a while - I probably shouldn’t say this, Jennifer Pugh [Chief Medical Officer, Horse Racing Ireland] mightn’t be too happy with me - but he used to sneak down and hop up on an old hack of a horse. He wasn’t supposed to be leaving the ground at all! But he just wanted to sit on one, so I let him walk around. That’s all he wanted. “If he didn’t have that outlet, who knows where his mind would’ve gone. He’d come down, get on the horse, walk a few laps, and you’d just see the happiness come back into him.” Watch The Irish Angle In Full Or Listen On Spotify
