Jockeys Guild News and Articles

Jersey Sale to Benefit Old Friends,The Race For Education, and Jockeys' Guild.

Javier Castellano Named Jockey of the Week

Rosario and Bejarano battle for Del Mar riding title

Rosario, the leading jockey of the meeting with 43 wins, saw Bejarano get thrown violently from his mount, Wallstreeter, near the half-mile pole. Rosario, just behind Wallstreeter with his horse, Include Me Out, made the snap judgment to steer his horse around Bejarano. The move cost Rosario any chance to win the race, but it saved Bejarano from being seriously injured or worse.

Bejarano was treated and released from Scripps La Jolla Hospital that day and actually cleared to ride races later in the card. He opted to rest and heal and is expected to be back racing Wednesday, just three days after the accident that looked more horrific than it actually was.

“I just hope he’s OK and that he can make it back,” said Rosario, who won the jockey title here last year and also was leading rider at Hollywood Park this spring. Bejarano won the title here in 2008.

They may be battling for the jockey title, fighting for the bronze trophy that comes with it, but Rosario, 25, and Bejarano, 28, have tremendous respect for each other. They represent the new generation of riders who are all business and as professional as any businessman in a suit and tie.

“We’re both working really hard,” said Rosario, who leads Bejarano by two wins with seven racing days left. “I’m trying to do it again, but I know Rafael is going to be tough to beat.”

Bejarano proved his toughness after a similar spill on opening day at Del Mar last year. But that time, after falling from a horse that broke down, Bejarano was run over by a trailing horse. He was struck in the face and suffered severe facial injuries that required extensive surgery and sidelined him nearly the entire meeting.

“I got off to a slow start here (once trailing Rosario by eight going into Day 13), but I’m very happy with where I am now,” Bejarano said before his spill last week. “I feel like I’m riding well. I’m healthy, and I’m enjoying it. We’re getting good business right now, and I have a lot of motivation to finish the meet strong. It’s so hard to win here with all the competition.”

The competition could have been much tougher, but two accidents involving young jockeys, Tyler Baze and Joe Talamo, resulted in a complete change in the course of Del Mar’s race meet.

Baze suffered severe fractures around his right eye, a bruised retina and a broken nose when he was head-butted by his horse on July 24, and Talamo broke his left wrist Aug. 5 in a spill from a horse that later was euthanized. Baze had won four races in the first four days before getting injured. His agent, Vic Stauffer, said Baze is pointing for the Oak Tree meeting starting Sept. 29.

Talamo was off to a blazing start, winning 12 races in the first 11 days and was tied for second with Bejarano, seven behind Rosario. He also is pointing for the Oak Tree meeting for his return to riding.

Talamo’s agent, Scott McClellan, can list six stakes races, 30 races total, that Talamo, who is 20, would have ridden.

“It was devastating because of how well he was doing against all the top riders at Del Mar,” McClellan said.

With those two young stars out, enter veteran jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who most felt had ridden his last race in California. Valenzuela had been racing in Louisiana after the California Horse Racing Board suspended him permanently for alcohol and drug abuse in September 2008. The CHRB reinstated Valenzuela on July 22, opening up Valenzuela’s return for the second week of racing. All Valenzuela has done since then is ride like a 20-something-year-old. He has 23 wins (19 seconds and 18 thirds) from 150 mounts and is third in wins behind Rosario and Bejarano in the jockey standings, two ahead of Victor Espinoza.

“I was pretty confident and pretty optimistic,” Valenzuela said. “I thought it could happen, and I even thought I could get to the top of the standings. But to be third and to compete with these guys half my age and get support from the horsemen means a lot to me. I’m no different than they are. I’m sure they like being No. 1 and work to be that. I know I love being No. 1 at a meet.”

Valenzuela has won five Del Mar riding titles, the last in 2003. He knows what a Del Mar title means to a rider’s career. Even being third will mean more business, more riding opportunities, Valenzuela said.

“To win any riding title it shows you that you and your agent are working together hard and putting business first,” Valenzuela said. “If we would have been here at the start of the meet, who knows, it might have happened. To do as well as we’re doing at this meet is a thrill in itself. It means a lot to me. It opens other doors. It opens doors to stakes horses. It opens people’s eyes.”

Valenzuela has been impressed with Rosario and Bejarano.

“I have a lot of respect for those two individuals on top of the standings,” Valenzuela said. “I don’t know them that well, but they show a lot of class. They work really hard. Bejarano is a great rider, and Joel is really coming into his own right now. I just hope I can get back on top of them”   By Ed Zieralski, UNION-TRIBUNE

Can a rocking horse save jockeys lives?

‘The first thing to hit the ground was the horse’s nose, followed a second later by my nose and I woke up in Walton hospital,’ said the seven-times champion jump jockey.

It could have been more serious, of course, but Francome appreciates the importance of preparing for the worst. 

Which was why he was at the British Racing School in Newmarket last week as a succession of young jockeys were taught the art of how to fall off a horse safely.

It was a sight to stir the blood on the coldest day; young jockeys cheerfully being fired into orbit from the French-built ‘equichute’ time and again, under the battle-hardened eye of former jump jockey Steve Smith Eccles.

Falls and serious injuries are an inevitable part of jump racing.

This summer alone, more than a dozen leading jockeys have been forced onto the sidelines including Robert Thornton, Andrew Thornton, Timmy Murphy, Jason Maguire, Wayne Hutchinson and flat racing’s champion Ryan Moore.

But for three days last week, thanks to the initiative of the Injured Jockeys Fund, inexperienced amateurs and conditionals were put through their paces on a fall simulator bought by the Alborada Trust. 

Fall guys: Young jockeys learn how to take a tumble safely at the British Racing School

Francome is a passionate advocate of the machine.

‘There is absolutely no doubt it will save lives and prevent no end of injuries,’ he said. ‘If it stops one person a year from ending up in a wheelchair, then it has paid for itself 10 times over.

‘It will be good for everybody from jockeys to happy hackers and event riders. In my view, everyone who rides should go on this machine.

‘I saw Jason Maguire starting his comeback in the gym the other day. He wouldn’t have broken his leg if he’d learned how to fall.’

Francome was an instant convert to the machine. He recalled: ‘I popped over to France to see it with Brough Scott, chairman of the IJF. 

Going: Jockey learns how to hit the deck

Once we saw it in action, we knew straight away that we had to have one. ‘It is so obvious. Anyone who has ever ridden can see the benefits.

The great thing is that it teaches riders to be proactive and do something when they come off as opposed to just waiting to hit the ground.’

The years rolled back for Francome and Scott as they both tried out the equichute for themselves and immediately found the ground rushing up to meet them.

Scott said: ‘Helping to avoid injury by using this machine rather than picking up the pieces has to make sense.’

Francome goes further.

He said: ‘You don’t become a sky diver without any training on how to land. But nobody ever teaches you what to do when you fall off a horse, and if you can’t manouevre yourself to fall off properly, you are a risk and should not be riding. 

Gone: A budding jockey learns how to hit the deck

‘Once they lose contact with the horse, the majority of riders don’t do anything to protect themselves.

'By using this machine under Steve’s instruction, the lads are learning to tuck in their shoulders and keep rolling to get away from the horse. That’s the key to avoiding injury.

‘Jockeys have to get used to falling because it is part of the job. Plenty of them will gain confidence from practising on it.’  ByJonathan Powell/Daily Mail

Race for Leading Rider at Saratoga

John Velazquez leads by one win over Javier Castellano who’s six up on the pesky Ramon Dominguez who’s hanging around enough to be counted in and not out. After those three, it’s a tax bracket to Julien Leparoux and Alan Garcia.

Three professionals show up for work; on time every day, punch in, punch out. While some jockeys fall off the tracks, these three hold steady, hands at 10 and 2, straight down the middle lane. They are in the zone.

John Velazquez: 38.

Javier Castellano: 37.

Ramon Dominguez: 31.

Not for long.

Dominguez wins the early double; holding and cajoling Remark to win the 9-furlong maiden in a photo and then keeps the second simple by staying out of trouble aboard Cheeky Mama. Last year’s champion ain’t dead yet.

Dominguez, 33, has gradually carved his initials on New York. He and his agent Steve Rushing tested the waters here for several summers, then tested the frozen air at Aqueduct before committing for good. They’ve won 10 titles in a row and would hate to break the streak here in the public’s eye. Long hold, uncanny balance, Dominguez gets horses to relax when others can’t. His ride on Avenging, a maiden claimer on the turf for Tom Voss, was patent Dominguez. He stayed off the horse’s mouth, allowed him to settle and won while drifting out. The horse enjoyed it. Dominguez rides all morning; Rick Dutrow, Barclay Tagg, Todd Pletcher – whoever needs him, whenever they need him. Sincere and thoughtful, Dominguez drives a Honda to the barn, likes to cook sushi and uses a day in his workshop, making things, as a release.

Castellano counters Dominguez’s double by taking the Ann Clare with favorite Yawkey Way who bests Dominguez on maiden Watkins Glen. Castellano pumps his whip underhanded and understated after the wire. It’s not his most polished win, but it’s a win. That’s 38, but who’s counting? Hello John Velazquez, nice to see you again.

Velazquez runs out of stamina in the first, winding up third aboard Super Espresso. He finishes next-to-last in the second. He fades to fourth aboard the favorite in the fourth. He’s got more ammo to fire.

The VCD Line allows Cornelio Velasquez to win the fourth. Linda Rice scratches Doest from the fifth, demoting Dominguez to the jocks’ room along with Velazquez, keeping an eye on Castellano who rides Tiger Willie.

Castellano tries to go for a hole between a tiring Tidal Slam and a rallying Gamblin Fever, can’t make that seam, goes back to the rail and skims through to win. That’s 39, Castellano is in front, one win above Velazquez. Suddenly Dominguez’s double to open the card is old news.

Castellano, 32, has steadily worked onto the speed dial of New York trainers. It seems like he’s been here forever; polite, unassuming, steady and finally getting the rides to put him in the thick of a title run. Castellano and agent Matt Muzikar have formed a solid relationship; they call each other by a mutual nickname, “Partner.” They’ve partnered to become the go-to rider for prolific Saratoga stables George Weaver, Chad Brown, Jimmy Jerkens and stock the shelves with rides from Todd Pletcher and others. Castellano waited his turn while the guard changed from Bailey to Prado to Velazquez and now he’s finally one of the guards. He used to just miss up here, whether it was stock or experience, he always held his own in the top 10. Now he’s top 3.

Dominguez, Velazquez and Castellano ride the sixth, all aboard first-time starters. Dominguez finishes last and can’t see what’s happening way off in the distance. Castellano stokes Silent Joy to nail Orangeblackandgold in the final stride. And that makes 40.

“So far, it’s gone the right way,” Castellano said. “Those guys are tough, they never give up. The more I win, the more they win. Johnny’s a good rider. Ramon’s a good rider. We are all very competitive, let’s all go out and have fun and try to win some races. Hopefully it will come to the end of the meet. For me, it’s big. For them, it’s nothing, they’ve won so many leading jockey titles, I say, ‘Come on guys, let me just have this meet.’ ”

Not a chance.

Velazquez didn’t win four titles by accident, he offers the ride of the meet, slicing and dicing to get Pleasant Strike home in the seventh. He beats Skipadate, with none other than Castellano. The two-win swing is crucial.

Velazquez, 38, has been here before; battling for a Saratoga title. Velazquez broke Bailey’s grip, winning his first title in 1998, the only jockey other than Bailey to win the Saratoga title from 1994 to 2001. Velazquez took two more in 2003-04 while sparring with Prado. He’s back in his comfort zone, winning races with alacrity and precision. Velazquez started in New York in 1990, he’s made anybody who knows him proud since. Vocal and opinionated, Velazquez stands up and fights for what he believes. Pletcher’s first call for so many years, he rides the fortune of that stable, his horses have earned about $600,000 more than Castellano and $1 million more than Dominguez at this meet. Velazquez’s agent, Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, doesn’t spend time in a golfcart like most agents, he’s on the back of prospective mounts all day every day. He breezed one for David Donk Wednesday morning, test driving.

“The toughest part is staying on the top, there is no doubt in anybody’s mind, staying focused, doing the right thing all the time, trying to make the right decisions all the time. Everything has to fall into the place,” Velazquez said. “Javier’s riding very well, he’s grown a lot over the years, he’s getting the momentum, he’s been doing well for a long time but he hasn’t gotten the breaks to be leading rider, it looks like me, it took me nine years for the first time.”

Velazquez nearly re-rallies to win the Albany with Ibboyee but can’t run down Prado aboard Stormy’s Majesty. Castellano and Dominguez follow right behind, two, three, four.

Without a ride in the last, Dominguez is the first one to leave; he wins two and loses ground to Castellano. Tough game.

Castellano and Velazquez fail to threaten with their rides in the finale.

At the end of the day, Castellano knows the score.

How many did you win today?

“Three.”

How many did Ramon win?

“Two.”

How many did Johnny win?

“One.”

Who’s in front?

NATIONAL FUND RAISER FOR INJURED JOCKEY TAD LEGGETT

            On that day, both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse jockeys are asked to donate a losing mount fee to assist Tad’s family and help with costs associated with his care and rehabilitation.  Tad suffered a broken neck on June 30 immediately after the third race at Fair Meadows Racetrack in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

            After undergoing two extensive surgeries for the spinal injuries and to stabilize his neck,   Leggett was transported to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, where he is currently undergoing rehabilitation.  Craig Hospital specializes in rehabilitation and therapy for catastrophic cervical spinal cord injuries.

 Because of the considerable costs associated with the procedures and rehabilitation, Leggett's medical care is reaching the insurance limits of the $500,000 on-track accident policy provided by Fair Meadows at Tulsa. 

            “We need the help of anybody and everybody to assist with Tad’s medical expenses,” said Terry Meyocks, National Manager of the Jockeys’ Guild.  “Tad deserves a real chance to make a full recovery.  It is necessary to raise this money to give Tad an opportunity to recover from his catastrophic injury.”

            Tad has made significant progress over the past several weeks have regained feeling and some movement in his extremities.   His wife, Tina, and family are optimistic regarding his recovery. 

             To bring awareness to Leggett, and in his honor, jockeys will be riding with a boot decal with Tad’s name.   Other promotional events to raise funds will be held at various tracks, including an autograph signing at Ruidoso Downs prior to the running of the All-American Futurity with Quarter Horse jockeys, including G.R. Carter, Cody Jensen and Hall of Fame Jockey, Jerry Nicodemus.   

Leggett is a 25-year journeyman jockey who has been an active member of the Jockeys' Guild since 1992.  He is the career leader in Quarter Horse victories at Prairie Meadows, winning over 400 Quarter Horse races.  He has also ridden at Remington Park, Lone Star Park and Canterbury Park. 

The Jockeys' Guild is facilitating establishment of a fund to assist Tad Leggett and his family.  Those wishing to donate should send checks to the Jockeys' Guild and mailed to 103 Wind Haven Drive, Ste 200, Nicholasville, KY  40356.  Please make note of “Tad Leggett” on the check's memo line. 

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Contact: Jockeys’ Guild

               (859) 305-0606

Jockeys' choice: Ride at Saratoga or on the road

It’s a calculated risk, but one that both jockeys and their agents may consider worth taking; sometimes for immediate benefit and sometimes for long-term benefit.

Usually when jockeys leave their “home track,” it’s just for approximately one to three mounts in stakes races. But they might be giving up riding in seven to nine races, including a stake or two, at their own track.

“It’s real simple,” said Mike Sellito, agent for jockey Kent Desormeaux. “Most of the time you go out of town for a horse that’s either a horse you’ve been riding and winning stakes on, or it’s for a customer that you regularly ride for. It’s a pretty easy decision.”

Jockeys never need to worry about transportation costs, as owners of the horses jockeys will ride for always pay those.

Desormeaux, a Hall of Fame rider, went to Arlington Park in Chicago on Saturday to ride favored Paddy O’Prado in the $400,000 Secretariat, contender Treat Gently in the $750,000 Beverly D and contender Besitos in the $62,300 Hatoof Stakes. He had a pretty good day, as Paddy O’Prado won, Treat Gently placed fifth and Besitos placed second.

For the most part, jockeys receive 10 percent of the owner’s share when their horse wins, five percent of the owner’s share for second- or third-place finishes and, approximately, $75 to $100 for lower places, depending on the state and/or track. That means Desormeaux earned nearly $25,000 personally, not counting his fee to Sellito.

Of course, bad luck happens sometimes, and the winnings can end up being not so much as if the jockey had stayed at his home base.

“You don’t worry about that,” Sellito said. “It’s a regular customer, a horse you’re riding regularly. It’s a no-brainer.”

This summer, journeyman jockey Mike Luzzi has struggled to get mounts at Saratoga. Through Sunday, he had 36 mounts, with two wins, six second and three thirds. Twice during this summer — once while he was riding at Belmont Park and the other while he was riding at Saratoga — Luzzi opted to ride in stakes races at Finger Lakes.

It’s paid off nicely. The first time, he rode Ibboyee to victory in the $161,600 New York Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher. The next time, he earned a win aboard Propensity in an $8,000 claiming race and a second aboard Ruffino in the $50,000 Genesee Valley Breeders’ Handicap for trainer Jim Bond. So, his trip to Finger Lakes for Bond earned him $980 personally, but it wasn’t just the money Luzzi, a winner of more than 3,000 career races, was thinking about.

“Jimmy Bond, we don’t ride much for him anymore, so the opportunity came up and we took advantage because you’re trying to better yourself for the future with him,” Luzzi’s agent, Kevin Meyocks, said.

“(Bond) used to use him a lot, but he hasn’t lately,” Meyocks added. “Just by going there, it’s a way to get us on his radar screen.”

Sometimes the pros and cons between staying or going out of town are more even. Then, Sellito said, you weigh other factors.

“The big part is who you ride regularly for — if you’re riding for a certain outfit for the whole meet (rather than) someone you don’t ride that much for,” Sellito said. “There are a few things that go into it, but it’s usually cut and dried.”

Meyocks said the most important thing to remember is that everybody from the owners down wants to win and make money.

KARLSSON LEADS “YOUNG GUNS” TO VICTORY

 “My horse was running real easy,” Karlsson said of her mount, which was drawn by lot when entries were taken for the one mile turf race which was sponsored by the track’s leading owner Frank C. Calabrese.  “At the three-eighths, I looked back and I could see Earlie (jockey Fires on Bobby Sands) coming.  He was blowing hard and I didn’t know if it was the horse or him (blowing that hard). When I turned for home I asked him, and he took off.

 “It was very exciting to be riding along side my idols and I hope this is the start of a big weekend for me,” said Karlsson, who rides Robert Courtney Jr’s Rahystrada in Saturday’s Grade I Arlington Million.

 Karlsson’s four-length victory aboard Saint Leon was worth 12 points while Earlie Fires, representing the Cagey Veterans, earned 10 points for his runner-up finish aboard Bobby Sands.

 “This is really for a good cause, the charities, the backside and the Chaplain,” said Fires, the Hall of Fame jockey who retired in 2008 with 6,470 victories.  “It was a lot of fun to do it, and everyone got interested. I was following one of the current jockeys, I figured he knew the pace so I was sitting along side of him, and then I didn't have enough horse.”

 Rounding out the top five in the race with their jockey and point totals were Serengeti Tour (Junior Alvarado for the Young Guns, seven points); Mining for Silver (James Graham for the Young Guns, six points); and Snapphok (Otto Thorwarth for the Cagey Veterans, four points).

The Jockey Challenge pitted five of Arlington’s top riders which included in addition to those listed above Michael Baze and Jesus Castanon against five retired jockeys including Patti Cooksey, Zoe Cadman and Mark Guidry as well as those listed above.  The proceeds from the wagering on the race were donated to the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund and the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America.

 Saint Leon paid $5.80, $4 and $3.20 as the 19-10 betting favorite.  Bobby Sands returned $3.60 and $3.20.  Serengeti Tour paid $5.20.Arlington Park Communications Department

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Jockey Karlsson takes unusual route to Arlington Million