JC / Railbird

Jockeys Archive

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 in Jockeys on November 7, 2004

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 in Jockeys on October 29, 2004

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 in Jockeys on October 27, 2004

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 in Jockeys on October 23, 2004