Jockey whose face was split open in brutal bashing just days before her wedding reveals seven-word mantra that helped her bounce back from horrific ordeal

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Top Northern Territory jockey Sonja Logan has revealed how she bounced back from her terrifying ordeal after being set upon by a gang of men in Darwin and bashed with a rock.

The 32-year-old was attacked by a large group of 10-15 men last year, just three weeks before she was set to marry her long-term partner Tommy Logan.

Logan feared that the men were going to kill but, fortunately, she survived. 

However, she was left with two of her teeth knocked out, an open fracture of her nose and a number of other facial injuries. 

Police have not many any arrests over the night attack, in which the men circled her car before she was smashed in the face by a rock.  

Ahead of her return at the Darwin Cup carnival, Logan opened up on the mental scars that have lasted since that horrifying ordeal in August last year, and how a highly positive mindset has helped her through. 

'I still have some hard days, some things make me more anxious than I used to be,' Logan told Racenet.

'If it's late at night and I hear people walking near my house, I get a bit worried.

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT 

A jockey who was attacked by a gang of 10-15 men has revealed how she bounced back

Sonja Logan was attacked just three weeks before her wedding day last year 

'But I'm pretty good now.'

Logan secured a confidence-boosting win last Saturday when scoring the $75,000 Darwin Guineas, and says that a seven-word mantra has kept her going.

'I do 100 per cent think that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' she said.

'What happened to me really sucked, but at the same time I lived to fight another day.

'It could have been a lot worse, some people don't get away with their lives from these sort of attacks, so in a way I feel like I'm quite lucky.

'I've had a lot of support around me the whole time which has been fantastic.

Logan revealed that the police investigation has been hampered by their inability to identify the culprits in CCTV footage which had been blinded after she frantically turned on her headlights. 

The 32-year-old married horse trainer husband Tommy just weeks after the attack and they had considered leaving Darwin due to the traumatic episode. 

However, they resolutely stayed and Logan is enjoying a great season, sitting third in the Northern Territory jockeys' premiership, riding 34.5 winners. 

'I didn't end up riding in a few big races last year because of what happened,' she said.

'The hardest thing last year was even when I was OK to ride, some people didn't want to put me on because they might not have thought I was OK after I was assaulted.

She married husband Tommy and says that she adopted a positive mindset to help her through the ordeal. Now she is in the midst of a strong horse racing season 

'That was fair enough, they are entitled to feel how they want to feel.

'It was what it was and I am well past that now.

'I am hoping this will be my carnival.

'I have got a Darwin Cup ride lined up already this year (Starspangled Baby) who is going really well, she's come from down south and Andy Perdon trains her.

'There was a year that I had a race fall and missed out on the Cup, the year after that I thought I was on the best horse in the field and the horse got injured, and then last year I got assaulted.

'I think I'm due for a bit of luck, right?

'It's due to happen.'