He landed a double on his first day riding at Murwillumbah as a 16-year-old and went on to become Australia's best rider in the 1980s and early `90s. Mick Dittman, who was widely known as 'The Enforcer' due to his strong use of the whip, was renowned for his vigour and strength in a tight finish. He was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, and rose to fame as one of Australia's most outstanding jockeys. It took him from a dead-end background to become an all-time great. His navigation on Gurner's Lane to win the 1982 Melbourne Cup, beating the favourite and racing idol, Kingston Town was quite sublime. Turning for home Kingston Town sprinted clear for his jockey. Malcolm Johnston appeared likely to win until Mick Dittman brought Gurner's Lane through on the rails to bring "sadness to a million lovers of racing"

He dominated Brisbane racing, winning five premierships before heading south to Sydney where he joined up with the late T.J. Smith to form a formidable combination. Dittman won three Sydney Jockeys' Premierships and throughout his career scored a remarkable 88 Group 1 wins. His more than 1700 victories included three Golden Slippers (Full on Aces, Bounding Away and Bint Marscay), two Cox Plates (Strawberry Road and Red Anchor), the Melbourne Cup (Gurner's Lane) and a Caulfield Cup (Sydeston). The former great jockey has a special place in his heart for the wonderful grey filly Bounding Away - his second Slipper winner.

Dittman won 330 stakes races including most of the major races in Australia, such as the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup, but he never won the biggest prize in his home state, the Group One Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm, from 28 attempts. Along with the cups, Dittman also won three Golden Slippers Stakes (1981, 1986, 1993), Two Cox Plates (1983, 1984), two Victorian Derby's (1982, 1984), two Australian Derby's (1983, 1989), three Australian Oaks (1987, 1989, 1993), three Rosehill Guineas (1981, 1983, 1984), four BMWs (1977, 1985, 1990, 1993), two Doomben Cups (1972, 1976) three Queensland Derby's (1976, 1983, 1995), four Doomben 10,000 races in (1973, 1981, 1985, 1995), a Brisbane Cup (1974) on Igloo and a Sydney Cup (1993) on Azzaam, plus a host of feature Group one races.

Dittman then spent seven years living in Singapore where he rode for two years before becoming a racing manager and working as a bloodstock consultant. Dittman remained strongly connected to the racing game over the last two decades, buying horses for owner, Lim Siah Mong from around the world including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Dittman trained for only a brief period on the Gold Coast after being granted a licence in October, 2002.

Closer to home, Dittman takes enormous pride in the achievements of his 30-year-old jockey son Luke who rides in southeast Queensland.

Known as "The Enforcer," Mick Dittman was a powerful jockey who guided home Gurner's Lane in the 1982 Cup