Greene, Rodi

By Daily Mirror columnist Dave Mitchell

Roderick (Rodi) Joseph Greene was born on February 6 1970 in Dublin.

The son of respected veterinary surgeon, Larry, he wasted little time in following his dream to be a jockey when travelling to Ottery St Mary, Devon to work for the eccentric, veteran point-to-point trainer Oliver Carter in 1988.

Much of Carter's training method reputedly involved chasing his horses up the gallops in a Land Rover, so it's hardly surprising the young Greene was pleased to move on having won a dozen points in the white, black hooped sleeved jumper which had been carried to success by Jeff King in the 1976 Whitbread Gold Cup on the famous Otter Way.

Rodi now travelled to Richard Lee's yard in Herefordshire before finding his way down south to David Barons' base in Devon.

As a conditional jockey to Barons, Rodi enjoyed considerable success, including on the subsequent Grand National winner Seagram, whose regular rider he was until Nigel Hawke took over in the saddle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day 1991 before achieving immortality at Aintree over three months later.

Barons was soon to retire and Rodi moved to the fledgling training operation of Paul Nicholls and Paul Barber before travelling back to the Kingsbridge base of Barons, where his wife Jenny now held the licence.

When Jenny herself retired it was time for Rodi to up sticks once again, moving to the great Martin Pipe with the promise of a few rides if he made the grade.

Made the grade? He worked himself up from gallops fodder to the yards no. 2 jockey and was understudy to A P McCoy in the glory years which saw him enjoy Cheltenham Festival success on Ilnamar, as well as a Champion Hurdle second on Westender and other success on top class animals such as Deano's Beeno, amongst others.

As well as riding exactly 100 winners for MCP out of a career tally of 303 from well over 4,000 rides, Rodi appeared countless times over the Grand National fences.

He had five rides in the Grand National with just one completion - Majed, who finished 12th in 2003.

 At the age of 36 he decided younger members of the weighing room were catching up with him and he retired to become a blacksmith, famously giving his whip to a child following his final ride at Sandown saying: ”Here you go - I won't need this anymore!'’

How wrong can you be! Rodi hated the training that was supposed to open a new career for him and returned to the saddle six months later - after all, he had a wife and three children to support.

He won several times for Pipe's son David aboard the popular white-faced chaser Whispered Secret who gave him another, brief, Grand National ride - Rodi being unseated at the very first fence.

Rodi forged a strong relationship with former Pipe stable jockey David Bridgwater, whose Cheltenham stable housed The Giant Bolster, owned by the equally loyal Simon Hunt.

That association gave Rodi success in his twilight years as a jockey but a much hoped for win the RSA Chase of 2011 came to nought when Rodi hit the deck at an early fence,

Rodi was already contemplating a second retirement when, on March 21, 2011, he travelled to Lingfield.        

He was there to ride Diamond Twister, a horse he'd never before set eyes on. 

A glance at the betting did little to instill confidence: his mount was freely quoted at 50/1 with few takers. Had he been told that the race would, indeed, by won by a rank outsider, it may well have lifted sinking spirits.

At 2.25, he shook hands with the trainer, Lisa Williamson, who then legged him up into the saddle. She told Rodi that the horse could be a bit keen. Rodi thought that he didn't look as bad as some he'd recently ridden and, besides, it had once won on the Flat.

Shortly after 2.30, the twenty-strong  field were off and approaching the first. Rodi's mount was already in the rear when it blundered badly, unshipping the unlucky jockey.

Rodi later recalled: 'He just stepped at the hurdle and in his efforts to recover he went a little to his left. If they stay straight you should be able to sit on them but I was going down his neck on the other side.'

He landed on his knees then flipped over onto his head.

Meanwhile, 100-1 shot Cody Wyoming and Dominic Elsworth ran on well in the closing stages to record a shock victory.

The field had by-passed the first hurdle on the next circuit, for it was here that Rodi still lay. Already the jockey knew that he was in big trouble.

'I thought' he confessed later, 'that I was going to die. I was in terrible pain. I was paralysed and terrified. I was thinking "Oh my Jesus Christ! I can't believe this. Please God, don't let it be like this."

'Ambulance men arrived and asked me if I was alright. It was the most stupid question I'd ever heard. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. All I wanted to do was to go to sleep. After a trauma like that, it's your body shutting down.'

Aidan Coleman had taken a heavy fall in the same race: worried that he might have received internal injuries, the ambulance crew had rushed him to hospital.

But it was Rodi who needed the attention.

Some 50 minutes later, he was taken to Redhill Hospital. His legs actually regained some of their movement on the way giving him hope that he might walk again, but his arms were still paralysed.

He was still in his riding gear the next day when his wife Allison visited: covered in mud and blood, he lay on a stretcher while the doctors decided the best course of action.

Then, having taken a neck scan, they moved him to London. It was here that Rodi was given the first pieces of good news: he hadn't broken a vertebrae nor would he need an operation. His relief was immense.

Eventually he was put into a wheelchair before trying unsuccessfully to walk holding a frame.

After a week, Rodi was transferred to Salisbury.

Gradually, the true extent of his injuries were uncovered and it was the long-time and much respected senior consultant at Odstock, Dr Tony Tromans, who broke other bad news.

Rodi had been put in the wrong collar: his head was being held in the wrong position. Rodi had displaced his C-3 vertebrae by three millimetres and it was detaching.

Rather than risk a major and serious operation, Dr Tromans wanted Rodi to stay in bed at a certain angle for four to six weeks to give the bone chance to move back into position itself.

Supported by pillows and sandbags, Rodi was laid out at an angle which forced his chin onto his chest - and there he lay, for several weeks, counting every second.

On Thursday, April 28, Rodi was taken for his crucial x-ray.

His enforced stay in bed had paid off: the vertebrae had moved back into place and he didn't need an operation. Crucially, he could get out of the bed which had held him like a prisoner.

Rodi, at first, took to a wheelchair, but was soon walking unaided. On Friday, 13 May, Dr Tromas saw him walking around and agreed to discharge him.

That afternoon, just 54 days after cheating death, 41-year-old Rodi walked out of the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre at Odstock, Salisbury, under his own steam to complete his recovery at home with his friends and family.

Once home Rodi embarked on a fitness campaign which would have been beyond many an able man.

He was soon travelling down to the Pipe's overspill yard, Sunnyside – then occupied by Neil Mulholland – to keep an interest but, as he recovered, had been forced to abandon his business of breaking in young horses which had, by the time of his accident, included the mighty Cue Card.

When Rodi gets on his bike it's extreme and since his accident he's completed the John O'Groats to Lands End run in near record time, collecting funds for the Injured Jockey's Fund, in addition to biking from Trafalgar Square to his home near Wellington non-stop supporting the Children's Hospice South West.

Nowadays he rides out for the same Nigel Hawke who deprived him of the Aintree ride on Seagram all those years ago, every morning - completing, of course, the 40 mile plus round trip on his bike - and spends his afternoons and evenings as a jockey coach to the 20 aspiring conditional and amateur riders to whom he's passing on the knowledge he gained in over 20 years participating in the hardest game of them all.

Rodi is currently coaching the up-and-coming Tom Marquand.

Pony racing is now a major part of West Country point-to-point scene and Rodi is seen out before racing at many of them walking the course as part of his jockey coaching duties with eager children and their parents. He has the appearance of a broken but unbowed Pied Piper - the effect of his injury being more apparent when he is out of the saddle than in it.

The children hold him in awe - come to that so does everyone who comes into contact with an amazing and inspirational man.