JC / Railbird

Jockeys Archive

Winning and Losing

IMBY: Suffolk Downs’ very own Jill Jellison is “now the leading active female jockey in terms of wins” (Daily Racing Form).

All off 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).

Posted in Jockeys, News on July 9, 2004

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 in Jockeys on July 8, 2004

“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 in Jockeys on July 3, 2004

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 in Jockeys on June 29, 2004