Loni C. Hall Irvine, CA- Requiring tremendous athletic ability when
riding atop a thoroughbred at speeds up to 40 miles per hour or more is
exactly the danger jockey’s face every time they participate in a race.
They must meet weight requirements, strict dieting and exercise
programs and adhere to a constant concern for safety. The world of racing is
an exciting one and the term “if you get knocked off, get right back
on” is the motto for any distinguished horse jockey. Like any other
sport where greats like Michael Jordan, Joe Montana and Tiger Woods reign,
so is the world of Horse Racing, a sport unlike any other.
Such great riders are not as easily found as you might think, a sport
of patience, athleticism, and strategy it takes a lot more than most
fans would realize and these are the great men recognized for their
accomplishments in the horse racing world. Jerry Bailey known for his
technically flawless riding style and patient execution of strategy, Bailey
won more than 4,500 races; he is one of the country’s best big-race
riders winning such classics as the Breeder’s Cup, and Triple Crown. A
Dallas, Texas native his first race was won in 1974 atop Fetch at New
Mexico’s Sunland Park.
Gary Stevens, who retired in the year 2000 after 36 wins and earnings
of $3,167,958.00, was voted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1997. His
career was not as long as it could have been due to a number of knee
injuries but he no doubt left his mark.
Chris McCarron a.k.a. The Spoiler one of racing’s most gifted riders
famous for stealing Cigar’s farewell in the Breeder’s Cup Classic and in
the Belmont Stakes the following year beating out the favorite Silver
Charm. Exploding onto the racing scene in 1974 McCarron set the
then-single season record of 546 wins, a record that stood for 15 years. His
accomplishments include two Kentucky Derby’s, two Preakness Stakes, and
two Belmonts, he has won over 6,000 races in his career making him one
of the nation’s leading riders.
Laffit Pincay Jr. is a story of overcoming and living through to become
the world’s most winning jockey. In his early years which were spent
as a hot walker and mucking out stalls before school, he was always
around horses. Brought to the United States from Panama by thoroughbred
owner Fred W. Hooper in 1966 he was a winner from the gate winning eight
of his first eleven races. You could say it was in his blood, his fate;
he didn’t have the body for it however, and struggled with extreme
dieting which almost killed him. After a tragic racing accident and death
of his close friend Jockey Alvaro Pineda, Pincay changed his diet and
got back on track, his health and life improved. The pain wouldn’t stop
there following the loss of his wife to suicide in 1985, you would
think he would have given up, he didn’t.
It was only two weeks later he won the Santa Maria Handicap on Adored,
one of his wife Linda’s favorite horses. A month later he surpassed
Johnny Longden on the career wins list, with 6,033 and won over $13
million in one year as well as his fifth Eclipse Award for the best jockey
of 1985. Another fourteen years would pass and on December 10th, 1999
the racing icon would break Bill Shoemaker’s world record of 8,833 wins
to claim the title of most winning jockey in the world.
These are just a few of the amazing contributions in the history of the
sport horse racing, and their stories each different symbolize and
represent a sense of pride in what they love to do, just ride. There are
very few who know the work, discipline and perseverance that goes into
training and maintaining success atop an unpredictable and powerful
animal such as the thoroughbred. For the men and women who prove everyday
they have what it takes, we salute you. It is like Laffit once said
“I can ride eight horses [in an afternoon] and feel good after the
races. Of course, I wouldn’t want to do that every day.” That is what a
jockey does, they ride everyday and they love it.
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