Archives » Jockeys
High Praise for Sutherland
Chantal Sutherland, Queen of the Longshots: "She could become the best female jockey since Julie Krone" (LAT).
Posted by JC, Mar 21, 2008 12:00 PM
10,00 Wins for Ricardo
Jorge Ricardo becomes the first jockey to get 10,000 wins.
Posted by JC, Jan 10, 2008 11:00 PM
On the Verge
- Jockey Garrett Gomez, on the verge of setting a new record for most stakes wins in a year (DRF), had five mounts at Hollywood this afternoon and won two races, but neither was a stakes. In the War Chant Stakes, Gomez's ride, the uninspiring favorite Karazi, finished sixth. The victory instead went to Jose Valdivia, aboard 3-1 Warning Zone. Gomez will get his next shot at tying the record, currently held by retired rider Jerry Bailey, on Saturday in the Audrey Skirbal-Kennis Stakes, where he's named to ride Hucking Hot, a promising filly with a troubled past (ESPN).
- Five favorites and the Aqueduct pick six still paid $14,814. Love Cove at 11-1 in the second leg must have knocked out quite a few tickets vying for a piece of the two-day carryover pot this afternoon.
- There's a great quote from George Bolton, part-owner of likely Horse of the Year Curlin, in the post-Breeders' Cup issue of Blood-Horse: "Why would we retire him? So I can buy 10 more that can't run?" The possibility that the Classic winner might return to the races as a 4-year-old grew stronger today with the news that Bolton and Jess Jackson have bought out partner Satish Sanan's interest in the colt for an undisclosed sum. "Mr. Bolton and Mr. Jackson are looking at all possibilities for the future of the horse," said lawyer Richard Getty (Herald-Leader). Bolton and Jackson now control 80% of Curlin. As for the other 20%, Michael at Curb My Enthusiasm has been following that saga.
Posted by JC, Nov 7, 2007 09:00 PM
Beginnings of a Legend
"He got hooked ... There were a lot of little people making a fast buck" (Lowell Sun).
Posted by JC, Oct 5, 2007 06:00 PM
Ricardo vs. Baze
When jockey Russell Baze became the winningest rider of all time last December, Brazilian superstar rider Jorge Ricardo was only 27 victories behind. Four weeks later, he surpassed Baze, and the two riders have been in a "ding-dong battle" since to reach 10,000 wins first (Racing Post). Follow along at Pagina de Turf, which is updating the riders' stats daily. [Thanks to Bill at Racing Figures for the links.]
Posted by JC, Aug 13, 2007 09:20 PM
Lakeman Benefit Scheduled
New York jockeys will take on top-ranked 5th grade basketball team Texas Titans in a benefit for rider Andrew Lakeman, paralyzed as a result of an accident at Belmont in May, next Thursday, 7 p.m., at the Saratoga Springs high school gym. All proceeds will go to Lakeman, now in rehabilitation. The event, organized by the Racetrack Chaplaincy, has already raised $5,000 apiece from such prominent owners as Lael Stables, Padua, Dogwood, and Darley. More details about this very worthy event can be found by clicking here.
Posted by JC, Aug 3, 2007 08:55 AM
Queen's Plate First
Congratulations to Emma-Jayne Wilson, who became the first female jockey to win the Queen's Plate Stakes when she rode longshot Mike Fox to victory at Woodbine on Sunday (DRF). "As far as I was concerned I was very much on the best horse and he proved that today," said Wilson. "I'm just so happy that we can say that: 'First female rider. Girl power, go for it.' I'm just so glad it will be the last time it will be said" (CBC).
Speaking of female jockeys, there was an interesting article in the Seattle Times a few days ago about Emerald Downs and how well women riders are doing there this year.
Posted by JC, Jun 25, 2007 09:10 AM
Gomez to Ride for Pletcher
- Jockey Garrett Gomez will replace injured rider John Valazquez as trainer Todd Pletcher's first call rider. "Garrett is coming in to kind of pick up the pieces," said Pletcher. "Mike Luzzi and Chris [DeCarlo] will also be riding for us. We're trying to keep things pulled together." Gomez's agent, Ron Anderson, said the jockey will fly to Kentucky on Monday and begin riding at Keeneland on Wednesday. Valazquez, injured in an accident at Keeneland last Friday, returns to New York on Monday to recover at home. "I'm feeling as best as can be expected considering what happened," said Velazquez.
- Apprentice rider Martin Garcia, leading the jockey standings at Golden Gate with 101 winners to jockey Russell Baze's 84, will ride at Hollywood Park after the Golden Gate meet ends. "I've got a lot of people who have promised me that they will give him a good shot at Hollywood Park," said Roger Olguin, Garcia's agent. "They know he can ride. He really likes it here, but I told him he had to try down there because that's where the big money is."
Posted by JC, Apr 23, 2006 11:10 PM
Velazquez Injured
Jockey John Velazquez suffered two broken ribs and a fractured shoulder on Thursday when his mount, Up An Octave, broke down just yards past the wire after winning the Forerunner Stakes over the turf course at Keeneland. The horse fell, throwing Velazquez to ground, and rolled over the rider. Velazquez was taken to the University of Kentucky hospital for evaluation and X-rays and remained there overnight. "He's pretty sore everywhere, but he's very lucky," said Angel Cordero, a retired Hall of Fame jockey and Velazquez's agent. "That is one of the ugliest spills I've ever seen."
With his injuries, Velazquez could be out for three to five months, and trainer Todd Pletcher will need to name a replacement rider for WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat, who is still a possible Kentucky Derby starter. "We're looking around [for a replacement] right now," said WinStar vice president Elliott Walden. "We're considering Ramon Dominguez, but it's still undecided."
Up An Octave, a three-year-old colt trained by Pletcher, sustained a compound fracture of his left foreleg and had to be euthanized on the track.
"It's the nature of the business for the jock, the owner and trainer," said jockey Willie Martinez, who finished well behind Velazquez in the Forerunner. "Here we are: 'How was your day?' 'I won a stakes race, and three jumps after the wire I broke my shoulder and the horse was put down.'"
Posted by JC, Apr 21, 2006 04:00 PM
Napravnik Magic
Apprentice Rosie Napravnik, favorite of the Bug Boys, pulled off a big upset on Saturday at Laurel when she "guided an apparently hopeless 74-to-1 long shot named Our Peak past seven horses in the stretch to score a stunning victory by a neck in the $85,000 Private Terms Stakes."
Posted by JC, Mar 26, 2006 09:00 PM
Personnel Matters
Bill Finley doesn't let jockey Garrett Gomez off easy for his recent firing of agent Jim Pegram, who helped Gomez become one of the West Coast's hottest jockeys this year after he returned to riding following a two-year absence caused by drug addiction:
Pegram is now working for Kent Desormeaux; Gomez has hired Ron Anderson as his new agent.
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Churchill Downs' fired starter Roger Nagle says he was let go because he wouldn't agree to use techniques to load the gate that he considered unsafe. "I don't give a damn if I have to eat cat food, I'm not going to do something that might get somebody hurt," said Nagle. Churchill Downs isn't commenting, which Tote Board Brad finds totally in keeping with the track management's "brash, arrogant" style.
Posted by JC, Feb 22, 2006 06:15 PM
Bailey's Final Ride
For a couple of seconds in mid-stretch, it looked as though Jerry Bailey's career would have a perfect ending, that even-money favorite Silver Tree would win the Sunshine Millions Turf after an ground-saving expert ride. If only he hadn't been briefly blocked before squeezing daringly through a narrow hole along the rail, because on the outside, longshot Miesque's Approval was in the clear and charging to the lead. The 48-1 shot beat Silver Tree by three-quarters of a length.
"You're either a hero or a goat. I guess I'll go eat hay tonight," Bailey said after. "I think Silver Tree was probably the best horse ... But it didn't open up in time for me. I played the hand that was dealt me. It just wasn't enough."
"Well, it wasn't exactly the fairy tale ending was it," said Silver Tree's trainer, Bill Mott. "But it was close."
Shut out on both his mounts in the Sunshine Millions, Bailey retired with 5,893 wins in a 31-year career. His last came aboard the filly Shakespearesister in a $33,000 allowance race on Friday at Gulfstream.
More: "I can't believe how lucky I've been ... Hell, I never expected to get out of New Mexico" ... "There were tears all around until Bailey was asked if it upset him that he did not visit the winner's circle for the 5,898th time. 'Yeah, it does,' he said, stopping in his tracks. 'I know Silver Tree was probably the best horse in the race.'"
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Lava Man, winless since taking last year's Hollywood Gold Cup, came back into form to win the Sunshine Millions Classic. "He finally ran like he had been training," said trainer Doug O'Neill.
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Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo may make his first start in eight months in the Strub Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday.
Posted by JC, Jan 28, 2006 10:45 PM
Thanks for the Memories
What New England racing fan doesn't remember Jerry Bailey and Cigar winning the Massachusetts Handicap in 1995 and 1996? And what about Bailey on Arcangues in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic? Lowell Sun racing correspondent Paul Daley writes about great moments from the retiring rider's career in this week's Sun column, reprinted with permission here.
It's a tale often told that things happen in threes.
With Jerry Bailey's announcement on Wednesday that he will end his riding career in the Sunshine Million races at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28, the three greatest riders of our generation -- Gary Stevens, Pat Day, and now Bailey -- will have moved into different facets of the sport they so love within months of each other. Bailey and Stevens will be seen in the broadcasting end of the business while Day will remain immersed in his calling with the Racetrack Chaplaincy Program.
Rather than rehash Bailey's career statistics, which were formidable enough even in 1995 to get him inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, I prefer to remember vignettes from the career of the son of a dentist from Dallas, Texas, who turned 48 years old last August 29.
Continue reading »Posted by JC, Jan 23, 2006 02:00 PM
Bailey Calls it Quits
"He rode the great Cigar to a record-equaling 16 consecutive victories, captured two Kentucky Derbys and won seven Eclipse Awards as the nation's most outstanding jockey, more than anyone else in history. But yesterday, Jerry Bailey called it quits despite remaining the most dominant jockey in America, if not the world."
Saying he desired to spend more time with his family and lacked passion for riding on "routine" days, Bailey told reporters on Wednesday that his 32-year Hall of Fame career would end on January 28 at Gulfstream, where he plans to ride three or four races on the Sunshine Millions card. His final race will likely be aboard Silver Tree in the Turf for trainer Bill Mott, a fitting conclusion, given that Mott was responsible for putting Bailey on the horse he's most associated with, two-time Horse of the Year Cigar.
Like Gary Stevens, who retired last fall, Bailey will take up a new career on TV, joining ABC and ESPN as a racing analyst. He leaves riding with few regrets: "I thought this thing through pretty well,'' Bailey said. "I fulfilled everything I wanted to do." Asked how he'd like to be remembered, Bailey said, "That I gave everybody their money's worth, and that I always put a horse in position to win if he was good enough."
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Bailey's exit from the scene does leave one question: Who will ride trainer Frank Brothers' talented Derby prospect First Samurai this spring? For next weekend's Hutcheson at least, Edgar Prado.
Posted by JC, Jan 19, 2006 10:00 AM
Bailey Preps for Retirement
So reports Bill Finley, who writes that jockey Jerry Bailey "is close to reaching an agreement with ESPN and ABC to work as an analyst on racing telecasts for both networks when he does retire." Bailey denied that he'd reached any deals and said that he would be riding at Gulfstream when it opens on January 4. "I'm going to start riding at Gulfstream," Bailey said. "I don't know how long it's going to last."
Posted by JC, Dec 13, 2005 09:40 PM
Stevens Ends Riding Career
It was hardly a Hollywood ending, but Gary Stevens' last ride wasn't a bad one. The jockey announced his retirement on Friday, citing injuries and difficulty making weight as reasons for ending his successful riding career, in which he won 5,005 races and more than $220 million in purses. On Saturday, he finished second in his final race, aboard the Patrick Biancone-trained Louve Royale. Despite the loss, Stevens told the thousands of fans that gave him a standing ovation at Churchill Downs that he was leaving as "the happiest guy in the world":
Stevens isn't out of racing entirely. The Hall of Fame rider will begin working for TVG in January as an on-camera analyst.
Posted by JC, Nov 27, 2005 09:30 PM
Michel Lapensee, 1947-2005
Talk to a jockey about the dangers of riding and they'll often point out that they're the only athletes followed by an ambulance. The statement is both fatalistic joke and stark acknowledgment of fact. No jockey gets through a career without injuries; an unfortunate few are permanently disabled or killed riding. Such was the fate of Michel Lapensee, who died last Friday from injuries he suffered in an accident at Suffolk Downs on October 24.
Hundreds of mourners gathered in a Providence church this morning to remember and honor the 58-year-old rider as a husband, father, colleague, and friend. The ceremony was simple and emotional, a burial mass followed by two eulogists. Lapensee's niece read from a piece she wrote while her uncle lay in intensive care, in which she touched on the question that must have crossed the minds of many others when they heard the news of Lapensee's death -- "Was feeling at one with an animal ... worth this?" She was followed by an old friend of Lapensee, who recalled his humor and graciousness, his love of fishing, and his passion for racing. "I can still hear his voice, from when he broke his maiden at Green Mountain. He was in front of me, yelling, 'I'm going to win, I'm going to win!'" It was that thrill and joy that kept Lapensee at the track long after most jockeys have retired. Walking away from the sport was "never an option," Lapensee's son, Michel Jr., told the Boston Globe.
In his 38-year career, Lapensee won 2,678 races from more than 20,000 starts. "When my dad was working," said Michel Jr., "he was one with the horse." Lapensee is best known for riding Playing Politics, who in 1998, at the age of 16, became the oldest horse to ever win a race at Suffolk Downs. "He was the oldest racehorse of his generation and would not have achieved the honor without the help and companionship of one Michel Lapensee," writes Paul Daley in his remembrance of the jockey.
"Mike got on the horse and gave his best," said trainer Mario DeStefano. On October 24, Lapensee climbed aboard Mecke's Money for that afternoon's ninth race. On the far turn, the six-year-old gelding broke his left front cannon bone and fell, throwing Lapensee. It was a $4,000 claiming race. There was no glory to be had but that inherent in riding a thoroughbred at top speed, in doing his best on the racetrack. Lapensee's dedication to riding kept him coming back, doing the only work he knew and loved, and in the end, it killed him. Was feeling at one with an animal worth a man's death? That's impossible to answer. But the presence of so many this morning testified that a life spent riding was not a life spent in vain.
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From the Boston Globe: "It was the last race on a cold, forgettable day at Suffolk Downs, the 70-year-old racetrack just off Route 1A in East Boston. The grandstand was empty. Three long days of rain and wind had driven fans away, and now even employees were leaving. Tom Schwigen, the starter at the track, ran for the parking lot immediately after launching the ninth and final race. The day, mercifully, was over for him. But not for a journeyman rider named Michel 'Mike' Lapensee and the flawed but beautiful horse beneath him. This was their time. This was their moment. Mecke's Money was about to make his move."
Posted by JC, Nov 3, 2005 07:00 PM
The Journeyman
Larry Lee Palmer profiles jockey Victor Mercado, injured on Labor Day in an accident at Emerald Downs (Post-Intelligencer):
Mercado may not ride again. A fund for his support has been started. To donate, send contributions to the Victor Mercado Relief Fund, Washington Mutual, 24A Street, Auburn WA 98002, or call 253-833-8700.
Posted by JC, Sep 21, 2005 01:15 PM
Apprentice Paralyzed
Charles Town apprentice Shannon Campbell was paralyzed from the waist down in an accident on Saturday night (Daily Racing Form). It was an accident at another West Virginia track last year that left jockey Gary Birzer paralyzed and sparked the jockeys' insurance dispute last fall, which resulted in several tracks raising jockeys' insurance coverage to $1 million. Charles Town, amazingly, wasn't among that group. Its insurance remains capped at $100,000 $50,000. Campbell's colleagues will be meeting with Jockeys' Guild representatives to discuss setting up a fund to cover her medical bills.
Posted by JC, Jul 13, 2005 09:30 PM
P Val's Pants Sell
With less than half an hour remaining in the auction, a bidder named myenemiescallmecollect swooped in to buy ad space on jockey Patrick Valenzuela's pants and collar. (eBay)
Posted by JC, Mar 25, 2005 10:45 AM
Sponsor P Val
Jockey Patrick Valenzuela is looking for an advertising sponsor. For $15,000+, he's offering ad space on his pants and collar. I'm thinking about this for Railbird -- I bet my site traffic would really increase with the URL splashed across P Val. As Valenzuela says, "My sport is nationally televised and I have received quite a bit of media coverage lately." Indeed, he has. Unfortunately, much of it has been for some personal issues, not his great riding. (eBay)
Posted by JC, Mar 23, 2005 07:00 AM
Elliott Held by Immigration
The US immigration bureaucracy is working hard to keep America safe -- from pesky Canadian jockeys. Stewart Elliott, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness on Smarty Jones last year and is the rider of likely Derby contender Rockport Harbor, was arrested by the Customs and Border Protection office in New York and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Elliott, a Canadian citizen, was detained in connection to a guilty plea in an assault case four years ago. He's to appear before a federal judge today. (Detroit Free Press)
Related: Elliott talks with Dick Jerardi about his past. "I just want to tell everybody that I'm not proud of what I did. I have nothing to hide. I'll tell everybody. I was a bleep-up, and now I just want to straighten out and ride good horses and do my job." (Philadelphia Daily News)
3/4 Update: Elliott was released yesterday and returned to New York to ride four mounts at Aqueduct in the afternoon. "The jockey's spokeswoman said she is confident the problem will be cleared up quickly." (Boston Globe)
Posted by JC, Mar 3, 2005 09:40 AM
Guild Meeting Underway
"The Jockeys' Guild began its annual meeting Dec. 6 with a call for solidarity -- even in the face of the dismissal of member Eddie King, who had sued the organization -- and a call for members not to talk to the press." (Blood-Horse)
Related: "Former jockeys associated with the Disabled Jockeys' Fund, which will be terminated at the end of the year, on Dec. 6 said they're comfortable with a plan by the Jockeys' Guild to make payments to disabled riders from the Guild's primary account." (Blood-Horse)
Also: "Disabled jockey Gary Donahue, co-chairman of the Disabled Jockeys' Fund, said he is considering dropping out of a lawsuit against the Jockeys' Guild after Guild management presented evidence that finances earmarked for accident victims are accounted for." (Thoroughbred Times)
Posted by JC, Dec 7, 2004 07:55 AM
Ladies' Night Ends in Tie
Hoosier Park's fourth annual Female Jockey Challenge ended in a tie between Francine Villeneuve and Jill Jellison, a first in the event's history. Villeneuve, with more than 800 career wins, is the leading female rider in Canada; Jellison, based at Suffolk Downs, is the fourth-leading American female rider with more than 1800 wins.
Posted by JC, Nov 7, 2004 11:30 AM
Not Fallon's Year
Kieren Fallon has had his share of trouble this year. "The 39-year-old Irish-born rider is among the elite jockeys in England, where he and Frankie Dettori dominate top class racing. He's among the most talented jockeys in the world and has won hundreds of major stakes across the continent. But it's been his off-track problems that have dominated the headlines this year in Europe, and there's been a bit of everything. He was stung by undercover reporters from a British tabloid, was suspended 21 days for lack of effort in a race that was among the most controversial in Britain in years and was arrested, along with 16 others, as part of a major investigation into alleged corruption and race fixing in Britain." (ESPN)
Related: "Fallon given new date in fixing case" (Guardian) and Bailey tops Fallon in International Jockey Championship (Dallas Morning News)
Posted by JC, Oct 29, 2004 08:58 AM
Risky Rides
For jockey Gary Birzer, it was another day of work. "As the seventh race began July 20 at Mountaineer Park, Birzer's wife, Amy, 26, and their daughter, Robyn, stood at a track concession stand. Amy was eating a Popsicle. Another jockey's wife rushed up and said, 'Gary went down.'" The Baltimore Sun profiles the jockey whose accident sparked the national debate over jockeys' insurance.
Posted by JC, Oct 27, 2004 09:08 AM
Aqueduct Honors "Wink"
Aqueduct announced Friday that the track would hold the first Jimmy Winkfield Stakes, a six-furlong $75,000 race for three-year-olds, on Martin Luther King Day next January. The honor follows the release of "Wink: The Incredible Life and Epic Journey of Jimmy Winkfield," by Ed Hotaling. The late Winkfield was one of the great black jockeys of the early 20th century, winning the Kentucky Derby twice and more than 2600 races in the course of his career. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame last August.
Posted by JC, Oct 23, 2004 09:40 AM
Good Luck
Despite being 17 wins behind Frankie Dettori as of Thursday, Kieren Fallon vows to fight for the champion jockey's title. (BBC)
Posted by JC, Oct 15, 2004 08:10 AM
Fallon Off Track
"The frustration of seeing the jockeys' championship slipping from his grasp was almost too much for Kieren Fallon to bear at Leicester yesterday. First, he failed to pass a doctor's examination before taking six scheduled rides, following a heavy fall at the same track on Monday. Then, as he was leaving the course, he almost came to blows with a photographer as he tried to reach his car." (Guardian)
Posted by JC, Oct 13, 2004 07:36 AM
Coming Back
"The problem was that, after the plane crash, I kept telling myself there's more to life than being a jockey. I wanted to be this family man who did some nice safe work on the telly.... Maybe it took more out of me than I expected. I was moping around at home too much." Good thing Frankie Dettori's wife sat him down for a talk. Now the jockey is closing in on the championship title with 162 wins this season. (Guardian)
Posted by JC, Sep 29, 2004 08:10 AM
Take a Break or Burn Out
"The British Horseracing Board said yesterday that it is considering "a whole range of options" -- including the introduction of compulsory days off for jockeys -- as it attempts to reduce the spiralling workload that faces many of the country's riders." (The Guardian)
Posted by JC, Sep 22, 2004 07:35 AM
Ah, That Explains It
When it was reported that jockey Jerry Bailey broke his wrist in a fall while prepping his Florida home for Hurricane Frances, a lot of fans had one question: "Why wouldn't a guy whose mounts have earned more than $100 million over the past five years simply hire a local handyman to install storm shutters?" Because: "People don't know it, but this is the kind of stuff I do around the house all the time," Bailey tells Jay Hovdey. (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Sep 17, 2004 08:20 AM
Untouchable
"[Jockey Willie] Shoemaker's 1954 mastery of Del Mar is one of racing's more indestructible records, right up there with trainer Woody Stephens' five consecutive Belmont wins, trainer Wayne Lukas' six consecutive victories in Triple Crown races and jockey Kent Desormeaux's 598 wins in 1989." (LA Times)
Posted by JC, Sep 7, 2004 07:52 AM
Bye-Bye France
And hello, US! Jockey Gary Stevens is back: "Again -- after writing another chapter in his ever-fascinating career. And while there is no indication that he has signed a deal with Frommer's to endorse the upcoming line of travel guides, he is now fully qualified to conduct comprehensive tours of the racing scene in Hong Kong, France, and England, not to mention every corner of the North American universe." (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Sep 7, 2004 07:46 AM
Fallon: A Knack for Trouble
Jockey Kieren Fallon may be an inspired rider, but he's also reticent, willful, possessed of a temper, and has been treated for alcohol problems. Ok then, "So the man needs an image counsellor, but is he a criminal?" (The Guardian)
Posted by JC, Sep 6, 2004 04:20 PM
Velazquez Breaks Own Record; Bailey's Grip on Eclipse Shaky
"John Velazquez rode three winners Friday, including two for leading trainer Todd Pletcher, to break the single-season jockey victory total at Saratoga Race Course that he set last year." (Blood-Horse)
"Even before jockey Jerry Bailey took a tumble off a ladder at his Florida home on Wednesday, his grip on an eighth Eclipse Award would have been harder to hang on to than an umbrella during Hurricane Frances. It's not that Bailey is having a bad year. He is simply having a season that doesn't rank with his record-setting 2003, and a couple of other riders are poised to take advantage." (New York Daily News)
Posted by JC, Sep 3, 2004 08:55 PM
Stevens Leaving France
Jockey Gary Stevens will return to California on September 2, and plans to ride the last few days of the Del Mar meet and "to pursue several entertainment projects," including a talk show and a possible movie role. (Thoroughbred Times)
Posted by JC, Aug 24, 2004 09:00 PM
Valenzuela Suspended for 2004
And possibly for life: "Del Mar stewards Ingrid Fermin, George Slender and Tom Ward suspended jockey Patrick Valenzuela for the rest of 2004 on Friday and recommended that the California Horse Racing Board not consider Valenzuela, 41, for future licensing." (LA Times)
Posted by JC, Aug 7, 2004 06:45 PM
Bailey Now Saratoga's Winningest Rider
With his second win of the day, jockey Jerry Bailey won his 641st race at Saratoga this afternoon, surpassing the previous record of 640 wins held by retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero. (ESPN)
Related: "Bailey breaks record for career victories at Saratoga" (New York Times)
Posted by JC, Aug 6, 2004 03:30 PM
2,000 Ascot Wins for Dettori
Italian jockey and Godolphin star rider Frankie Dettori scored his 2,000th win in Britain at Ascot, the same course at which he rode seven wins on seven mounts in September 1996, on Sunday. "When the redevelopment of Ascot Racecourse is finished, they might as well go ahead and rename it Dettori Downs." (International Herald Tribune)
Posted by JC, Jul 25, 2004 07:30 PM
CA Jockey Weight May Increase
"The California Horse Racing Board could vote as soon as August on a proposal to raise the minimum for veteran riders in thoroughbred races to 118 pounds, and end the practice of including the saddle when a jockey is weighed. Those changes could allow a jockey to be four to eight pounds heavier, though there is disagreement about a precise figure." Jockeys and physicians support the measure, trainers and owners express concern about the effect of added weight on horses. (LA Times)
Related: "Proposal to raise weights debated" (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Jul 23, 2004 03:15 PM
Jockey Investigated for Non-Triers
British jockey Gary Carter faces allegations that he rode "eight non-triers" last year (Racing Post).
Posted by JC, Jul 15, 2004 05:20 PM
Winkfield Joins Hall of Fame
He won the Kentucky Derby two years straight, was a champion rider in Russia until the revolution forced him to flee, and had won more than 2500 races when he retired at the age of 50. Now Jimmy Winkfield, "one of the most celebrated and accomplished African American jockeys of all time," is being inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame (Thoroughbred Times).
Related: "Wink: The Incredible Life and Epic Journey of Jimmy Winkfield," by Ed Hotaling, due out Nov. 2004 (International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press)
Also: "Two historic figures to join" (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Jul 15, 2004 08:40 AM
A Few Items
IMBY: Suffolk Downs' very own Jill Jellison is "now the leading active female jockey in terms of wins" (Daily Racing Form).
All for a good cause: Female jockeys in New Zealand posed nude for a calendar to raise funds for the Hunterville Trust, which aids injured jockeys. "Still two weeks away from the official launch ... the 1000 copies on hand are as good as sold" (New Zealand Herald).
Completely unrelated: Harness racing hangs on in Maryland (The Washington Times).
Posted by JC, Jul 9, 2004 05:00 PM
Tiptoeing to Retirement
Jockey Julie Krone, the only woman in the Racing Hall of Fame, announced Wednesday that she would not ride at Del Mar this summer and wasn't likely to ride anywhere again. "While stopping short of declaring an outright retirement, Krone tiptoed right up to that line" (Daily Racing Form).
Related: Julie Krone (Salon)
Posted by JC, Jul 8, 2004 10:20 AM
"I've always shaved the rest of it"
Saying he had completely shaved all the hair off his body, jockey Patrick Valenzuela was unable to provide a sample for a hair follicle drug test, as requested by the Hollywood Park stewards, and was suspended from riding only one day after returning from a June suspension of his license (ESPN).
Posted by JC, Jul 3, 2004 06:40 PM
Try, Try Again
California jockey Elliott Demesme took a nasty spill on Friday during a race at the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton. "The injury was apparently minor but could have been a lot worse. The imprint of a horseshoe was clearly seen on Demesme's forehead, and he sported a big shiner." Taken to the hospital, he checked himself out and returned to the track that afternoon to ride the rest of his mounts. Track officials, quite sensibly, kept him from riding through the weekend (Daily Racing Form).
Related: Saturday, July 3 is Jockeys Across America, an event being held at more than 40 tracks to raise money for the Macbeth Fund, an organization dedicated to helping injured and disabled jockeys.
Posted by JC, Jun 29, 2004 09:04 AM
