JC / Railbird

Jockeys

Crouching Jockeys, Faster Horses

According to research published in Science, the now-standard “monkey crouch,” popularized by jockey Tod Sloan in the late 1890s when he moved from the US to Britain, revolutionized racing by making horses run faster:

By, in effect, floating above his mount, the jockey saves the energy the horse would otherwise expend…. average times — almost 109 seconds per mile in the 1890s — fell dramatically and settled at less than 103 seconds for most of the 20th century.

The findings suggest an intriguing possibility:

Some researchers have hypothesized that a jockey could in effect “drive” the horse faster than it could go on its own. Pfau believes this might be possible if the jockey is moving the right way at precisely the right time. “But we haven’t cracked that yet,” he says.

Unproven, but such a conclusion seems intuitively correct. “A good jockey can improve a horse if he is a good fit for him,” trainer Bob Baffert tells Joe Drape. “That’s why we have speed riders and come-from-behind jockeys. The best stay cool and calm, and horses can feel it.”

Posted in Racing on July 16, 2009 / Tagged Jockeys, Research, Riding Styles, Speed, Speed Notes

Still Looking

Trainer Chip Woolley is searching for a rider for Mine That Bird, now that Calvin Borel is permanently off the Kentucky Derby winner. The connections are looking for a rider who will commit from the West Virginia Derby through the Breeders’ Cup, but that’s apparently not such an easy promise to get. According to an anonymous agent:

“Chip Woolley’s not a buffoon,” he said, “but what he doesn’t understand is, he’s a one-horse stable. I ride for a lot of big outfits, and I’m not going to tick any of them off by committing to a guy with one horse.”

As people say, it’s just business …

4:45 PM Addendum: From today’s Churchill Barn Notes, a no-news update, except for the detail that Mine That Bird also needs a rider to breeze. “I know we are working Monday,” Woolley said. “I’m not sure who will work him.”

7/5/09 Update: And the saga comes to an end with Mike Smith — not Julien Leparoux, as briefly reported elsewhere — picking up the mount for the West Virginia Derby and Travers. “I’m very happy to have the opportunity to get back on him,” said Smith. “Hopefully I can make amends for what happened [in the Preakness] and get him home this time.” Rider Jamie Theriot will work Mine That Bird on Monday morning. “I am tickled that this is over with,” said Woolley, in a tone I imagine was of genuine relief.

Posted in Racing on July 3, 2009 / Tagged Jockeys, Mine That Bird

Favorites for 2009-05-08

Each day, I browse Flickr for interesting racing images. Here are photos recently saved as favorites …

Posted in Racing on May 8, 2009 / Tagged Jockeys, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Mine That Bird, Photos, Portraits, Rachel Alexandra

Entitlement

Huffs TOBA president Dan Metzger of a sponsorship deal between Derby jockeys and NetJets in an odd Blood-Horse article partially sourced by “They”:

“You can’t exclude owners — they own the horses, and should be at the center of discussions. The individual owner should be empowered to make the decision on how sponsorship revenue is divided.”

Unless an owner is donning a pair of thin white pants emblazoned with a sponsor’s logo and swinging their leg up over a horse, then, no, there’s really no reason for them to get a cut of the fee be involved in the deal-making. Owners may own the horses, but they don’t own the jockeys, or their pants.

Posted in Racing on May 7, 2009 / Tagged Jockeys, Owners, sponsorships, Triple Crown