JC / Railbird

Jockeys Archive

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 in Jockeys on July 25, 2004

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 in Jockeys on July 23, 2004

Jockey Investigated for Non-Triers

British jockey Gary Carter faces allegations that he rode “eight non-triers” last year (Racing Post).

Posted in International, Jockeys on July 15, 2004

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 in Jockeys on July 15, 2004

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