Glen Boss, won three consecutive Melbourne Cup wins (2003/04/05) astride Makybe Diva. However, it does not stop there. His estimable record stands at over 60 Group 1 races and counting, and even though it is tempting to say his prime is past, a wise punter would not say this to his face then lay off him unless that punter was desirous of being a donour to Boss’s tote.

Always one to ignore distractions, shut out the advice of owners and trainers, stewards and the voices of the well-lubricated experts over the fence, Boss kept his own counsel, even as an apprentice riding the bush circuit, always thinking that he could bring home a winner no matter what quality was beneath him.

Born 21 August 1969 in Caboolture, Queensland, about 50K north of Brisbane, Boss spent his early years following a career path not dissimilar to other jockeys: rounding cattle and breaking horses on his familiy’s farm.

His racing career had its origins in Gympie, where he brought home 60 winners in less than a year as an apprentice, and managed this on his $30 week salary. Of the rough dirt tracks he rode in those early days, he says he didn’t know any different from the riding he did on the farm. He continued to produce results upon relocating to the Gold Coast before landing in Sydney in 1994.

He had his first major wins in 1995 in the Golden Slipper Stakes aboard Flying Spur and booted Telesto home in the Chipping Norton Stakes.

In 2002, it looked as though Boss’s promising career had come to an end. Riding in heavy rain in Macau, he took a spill, fracturing two vertebrae in his neck. What could have ended up as a life in a wheel chair was miraculously transformed into a mere 6 months away from the track through the herculean efforts of the world’s top neurosurgeons. Boss rode the Cup that year, finishing fifth aboard Pentatastic.

2003 was the year that began his historic string in “The Race That Stops a Nation.”

Boss was aboard the five year old, David Hall trained Makybe Diva before a record setting crowd of over 122,000 when he brought the mare through a tight pack home ahead of She’s Archie and Jardine’s Lookout, logging a time of 3:19.90 and paying her backers $9.10.

2004 saw Makybe Diva moved to Lee Freedman’s stables along with Boss. This significant switch did not alter the outcome. Second place Vinnie Roe had the best view of the result from 1 ¼ lengths behind. Makybe Diva again paid backers who took her at 7-1.

2005 produced the hat-trick, or trifecta if you prefer. Not one to dismiss his humble origins, Boss gave the mare the credit for the victory, saying, “I’m the lucky bloke they throw onto the sadlle and steer her around… ” Vinnie Roe was once again the super-mare’s hapless victim.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Boss continues to work hard and bring home purses for his connections.

His 2006 season produced 6 Group 1 wins, the BMW Stakes, Ranvet Stakes, and Queen Elizabeth Stakes all courtesy of Eremein. The AJC Australian Oaks aboard Serenade Rose, and Racing To Win carried him to the winning post in the George Ryder Stakes and the Doncaster Handicap.

His record to date lists over 1600 starts encompassing almost 200 wins, and in a remarkable testament to his ability, that number exceeds those of his second and third place finishes.

He has ridden effectively in Honk Kong, Macau, Dubai and New Zealand as well.

Away from the track, Boss is married to Sloane, and they have two children, Tayte and Carter, all of whom will tell anyone interested that Boss brings the same competitive spirit he displays on the track to a friendly round of gold or tennis.

He also is a popular commentator on the subject of punting, and is in demand for his abilities as a speaker.

In 2007 he released an autobiography titled, “The Boss: A Jockey’s Story.”

Glen Boss’s reputation for, as Kipling might have said, “Keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,” would seem to fit him and his ability to ignore the distractions that come with the success he has experienced and the pressure to produce when the stakes are large. Maybe too, he still recalls the humble beginnings that prepped him, or the calm perspective he gained following his brush with death.