Jockeys
Horse racing is an equestrian sport where horses and their riders take place in racing, with betting on the outcome. Horse racing is a very important and competitive sport in Kentucky, especially in Louisville and Lexington. Lexington is home to Keeneland and Louisville is home to Churchill Downs, which holds one of the biggest horse races each year, theKentucky Derby. Keeneland opened for races in 1936 and the first Kentucky Derby was held in 1875. Churchill Downs is where the Kentucky Derby is held every May. Churchill downs has a very fancy atmosphere with all of the ladies and gentlemen dressed up with all of the women wearing some sort of fancy hat. Churchill downs is where tens of thousands of people gather every year to watch their horse run for the roses. Run for the roses is a term used at the Kentucky Derby because the winner of the race receives a gorgeous garland of roses to go around the horse. The atmosphere gets very intense once everybody hears the gunshot and the gates open. Horse racing is a spectacular event to watch, but what is missing is how to look at horse racing from a jockey’s perspective. When looking at this sport from a jockey’s perspective we will then look at each race in a different way. People might begin to realize that the horse’s performance play a major part in how good of a jockey is on its back.
A jockey is a person that rides the horse in the race. They typically weigh about 120 pounds and are male. Jockeys play an important role in winning horse races. Some say that the fastest horse always wins the race but that is not necessarily true. The jockey’s
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skill and horsemanship greatly contributes to the winning horse crossing that finish line. Yes, training is very important in order for the horse to succeed, but there is no success without a jockey that knows what he is doing. The jockey must be able to see a hole or opportunities for the horse to run through or to pass another horse and guide his horse through traffic.
Most people would assume that jockeys are the major money earners in the world of horse racing. While most jockeys do well financially, a large percent of the jockeys only earn a modest salary. A typical self-employed jockey will receive a minimum fee from $35-$100 as a mount fee then adding a percentage of the prize money depending on first, second, or third place. Jockeys earn their income by competing in races. The more they win the more money they make. Only a few jockeys will earn six figures or more a year, most average jockeys will earn a income of $30,000-$40,000 a year in a sport that requires heavy travel and costly equipment (Animal Planet). According to Darren Rovell’s article in CNBC, for winning the Kentucky Derby, jockeys will get ten percent of the owner’s pay, which is usually around 100,000 dollars (Rovell).
Unfortunately horse races can only have one winner; only one person to take the title of the champion. According to Tim Layden’s article, “Chance Meeting,” the Derby gives and the Derby takes. This is a very powerful statement for jockeys. One jockey will stand tall while the others will be defeated. For the 2011 Kentucky Derby, Johnny Velazquez coincidentally rode the Derby winning horse, Animal Kingdom. This was one of the best horses and jockeys in the Kentucky Derby. Valazaquez knew that it was his day to shine when he got on that horse and he proved that in Louisville, Kentucky that day (Layden). Also in an article that Tim Layden wrote, “Did That Really Happen?”, Layden talks about how the main reason that Mine That Bird won the 2009 Kentucky Derby was because of the jockey, Calvin Borel. Mine That Bird was not a very well known horse in the Derby but Borel had a mind-set that no other jockey had and he was fearless. Borel fell behind, throughout the race and was behind 18 horses but when it came down to the last seconds of the race, he then passed 18 horses in a 21 second time span. There was not anything that was going to stop him from winning this derby. He squeezed in-between horses and the rail that seemed impossible to squeeze in-between because he had no fear
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(Layden). His only focus was to win the Kentucky Derby and he achieved that goal. This proves that a great jockey is able to take a mediocre horse and make him great.
There have been multiple jockeys that have won the Kentucky Derby multiple times. According to Benjamin Griffith’s article “Kentucky Derby,” Jockeys have played a prominent role in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack each won the classic race five times, and Willie Shoemaker rode into the winner’s circle four times. During a remarkable seven years from 1958 through 1964 Shoemaker was America’s leading moneymaking jockey. Angel Cordero joined the legendary Isaac Murphy and Earle Sande as a three-time winner in 1985. In 1970 Diane Crump made history as the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Raleigh Colston became the only person to own, train, and ride a Derby runner; he rode Searcher in the first Derby and owned and trained Colston, the third-place finisher in the 1911 race (Griffith).
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Horse racing is a tough to sport to continuously win and be successful in, and for a jockey it is very difficult to always win the big race such as the Kentucky Derby. The Triple Crown is a title given to horse and jockey combination only if they win the three biggest races in one calendar year. These races are the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. Since 1919, there have only been eleven triple crown winners, and only one jockey that has won the triple crown twice, that being Eddie Arcaro, on two different horses. Not one horse has ever won the Triple Crown twice, and there has not been a Triple Crown winner since 1978. To be able to win this prestigious title, it not only takes a great horse, but a great jockey that is able to lead and guide the great horse (Pierson).
What makes a great jockey? There is little doubt that a great jockey can bring a horse to victory. Jockeys have great skills and experience and they can guide these very large animals through very tight horse traffic. Plus, there are about 10 other great jockeys that are doing the same thing that they are so there is a lot of competition. They jockey’s skill and sportsmanship combined is what contributes to them crossing the finish line. Jockeys also have to have nerves of a champion and have to be able to make split second decisions. Mike Callaham, a local jockey, said that before the race he figures out who is around me and try and figure out what they are planning and where they are planning on going; it only takes one split decision to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time to find yourself somewhere you really do not want to be (Callaham). Owners and trainers want someone who can lead the horse to victory and who has a fearless mind-set. Jockeys who possess all of these skills are ones that are very successful and time after time continue to win the big races. According to Christopher Beam, the jockey accounts for 10 percent of a horse’s performance on any given day. A great jockey knows the animal’s strengths and weaknesses. A jockey will take these strengths and weaknesses into account and adjust his strategies accordingly (Beam). Calvin Borel’s win of the Kentucky Derby was a great example of how a jockey can use his knowledge of the horse’s strengths and weaknesses to run for the roses. Borel knew that Mine That Bird liked to hang back behind the rest of the horses until the end of the race and then shoot forward to the finish line. Borel was also able to shoot through gaps that did not even look wide enough; not all jockeys would be willing to risk that. Good jockeys also research their competition. They review videos of the competition and know the background of the jockeys and the bloodline of the horses. This also helps them decide where to position the horses on the rail during the race and to know which horses will most likely being trying to get by them. The best jockeys know their horses and know how to keep them calm in very intense situations.
To jockeys, horse races are not just another race. They take each one of their races to the most extreme level. It is very important for every jockey to give it their all in every race because if they do not then they can get fired pretty quickly. Trainers want the best of the best jockeys and that is what they chose from. If you are not the perfect jockey that they want then they can just get rid of them and go try to find the exact one they are looking for. Jockeys have to strive to be the best jockey they can possibly be. Jockeys have to have that fearless mindset because their job can often be life threatening. Jockeys at any given time can fall off or get thrown from a horse and in just a split second be stepped on by a horse from behind. This can cause serious damage such as being paralyzed. According to Animal Planet, the risk factors that jockeys face are so high that premiums to cover these athletes are among the highest in all professional sports. They receive 2,500 injury notifications of a jockey in one year. They average jockey gets injured an average of three times a year. Approximately 50-60 jockeys have been totally and permanently disabled at any given time, and more than two jockeys a year are killed in North America. Common injuries include concussion, bone fracture, trampling and paralysis (Injuries and Safety Precautions).
Jockeys have a lot of requirements that have to be just right about their body and physical skills to be able to become a jockey. According to Topend Sports, many believe that the horses are the main athlete in horse racing; however, being a jockey is also very demanding being an athlete, and requires a very specific set of physical skills and body make up. Most attributes of a jockey would be small, light, strong legs, good flexibility, and strong endurance. Jockeys must go through very extensive physical testing every year that tests body size, flexibility, leg strength, upper body strength, and endurance. To test body size for a jockey, the test would first measure the height of the jockey, or the lack of height. In testing height, the jockey is measured from the maximum distance to the floor to the highest point on the head, with no shoes on, feet together, and arms by the sides. A typical jockey’s height is around five feet and six inches. Also to test body size the test will measure body mass. Body mass is valuable for monitoring body fat, muscle mass and hydration levels. Scales required to test body mass for jockeys are authenticated by a
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government department of weights and measures. The jockeys body mass will be measured with no clothing on. The body size test will also measure skin fold. A typical jockeys body mass will be 121 pounds. A skin fold measurement is a method for measuring body fat percentage. A skin fold test will test seven areas, the triceps, the bicep, the subscap, supraspinale, abdominal, thigh, and calf. A typical jockey’s result in the skin fold test will be about one and a half inches from the sum of all seven sites. To measure flexibility of a jockey, they use a sit and reach test. This specifically measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles, which are very essential areas on the body for a jockey. A typical jockey’s result is plus ten inches. The leg strength test is used to measure the strength and endurance of the lower body, particularly the quadriceps. To do this test the jockey must stand comfortably with feet shoulder width apart with their back against a vertical wall. Jockeys will then slide down to position where their knees and hips are at a 90-degree angle. Jockeys must perform this test for each leg; the timing starts when one foot is lifted off the ground and stops when the jockey cannot maintain position anymore. An excellent score on this test is greater than 100 seconds. To measure upper body strength, jockeys will be given the handgrip strength test. To measure this they use a handgrip dynamometer. The jockey will hold the dynamometer in each hand with arms at a 90-degree angle, when ready the jockey will squeeze the dynamometer with maximum effort for five seconds. No other body movement is allowed during these five seconds. A typical jockey’s result in this test will be 99 pounds. To measure the endurance of a jockey, a 21-yard multistage fitness test using maximum running aerobic strength. This test involves continuous running between two lines 21 yards apart. The typical result for a jockey is 58 ml/kg/min (Fitness Testing for Jockeys). As a result from all of these tests, a jockey has to meet very strict requirements, showing the importance of being strong and flexible in the saddle.
In conclusion, all of these things that I have discussed plays a part in a well-developed jockey, such as skills, training and mind-set, all the way down to their physical fitness. A lot of gamblers are missing out on some money they could have won because they are not looking at who is on the horse’s backs, they are just looking at the bloodline of the horses. What they do not know is that the jockey plays a major role in the horse crossing the finish line. The best horse in the race is not going to win if it does not have a top notch jockey on it’s back. This is an under known topic to many people, especially gamblers. Not many people have the requirements to be a jockey. Jockeys have a very strict variety of requirements to meet that not many people have. It is an honor for people to have these requirements for their job that they love, enjoy and take pride in. Jockeys do not have the safest job out there but they have no fear in what they do. People should take into consideration what jockeys really put into horse races when attending the races and should respect that.
Works Cited
Beam, Christopher. “Do Jockeys Matter in Horse Races?” Slate. The Slate Group. 12 May 2009. Web. 17 November 2011.
Callaham, Mike. Personal Interview. 30 Nov. 2011.
“Fitness Testing for Jockeys.” topendsports.com. Topend Sports Network. N.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Griffith, Benjamin. “Kentucky Derby.” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture 3 (2000): 19-20. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
“Injuries and Safety Precautions.” animal.discovery.com. Discovery Communications. N.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Layden, Tim. “Chance Meeting.” Sports Illustrated 114.20 (2011): 44-47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Layden, Tim. “Did That Really Happen?” Sports Illustrated 110.19 (2009): 56-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Pierson, Cindy. “The Triple Crown.” horse-races.net. American Horse Publications. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Rovell, Darren. “Kentucky Derby Doesn’t Make Jockeys Rich.” cnbc.com. CNBC Inc. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Jockeys 