Melbourne Cup winning jockey Wayne Harris has had a dire history with injuries and illness and unfortunately the battle continues for the tough and extremely popular ex-hoop.

Harris, who had to consistently waste ridiculously hard during his career, has throughout his years suffered two brain tumours, meningitis, staff infections, not to mention breaking most of the bones in his body.

His illnesses have been so severe he has twice been read the last rites.

The current battle Harris is facing has been an ongoing one, degenerative spinal issues as a result of a long, successful but painful career.

“It really does your head in,” Harris said from his hospital bed in St Vincent's.

“You put up with it for 25 years riding and think when you retire it will go away.

“But it hasn’t, you’re in pain everyday, can’t sleep and nothing seems to go right.”

It is the 18th time Harris has been admitted to St Vincent's, and he has lost count of the amount of delicate operations he has had on his spine, but thinks “it’s about 10.”

“They are very big and drastic operations that are rarely ever done,” he said.

“I’ve got a brilliant team of Dr Tim Steele, Dr Raymond Garrick and Dr Malcolm Pell, who are doing everything they possibly can to improve my situation.

“The problem though, with spinal operations, they become like a train wreck and they lead to problems arising with things such as scar tissue.

"It also puts a big strain on those around you and I am highly thankful of their support,"
Whilst Harris is understandably not at an all-time high, his amazing spirit, which he has shown in all of his battles, shines through and he refuses to give in.

“It’s touch and go at the moment from the last operation and because of the nature of it it’s hard to get a good idea about it, but we are very hopeful something positive comes of it,” he said.

“I haven’t been able to move much at all, but will be assessed during the week to see if I’m well enough to start rehab.”

Amazingly, with the discomfort he is in, Harris has still maintained his role as a jockey’s manager, looking after Scott Thurlow and the father and son team of Dale and Blake Spriggs.

“It’s given me great pleasure looking after Blake and watching what he has done since coming to Sydney” he said.

“Having known Blakey for a while and the type of kid he is, I always wanted to do that.

“He rings after every race meeting to talk about his rides and works hard at it and is just a pleasure to deal with and he deserves every success.”

As does Wayne Harris.

It’s been a long and exacerbating and underserved fight for one of our generation’s most gifted riders, and more importantly, a true champion as a person.

Surely it is time for a change of luck for one of the great men of the turf.

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