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Friday, October 30, 2009
Remington to pass the boot for disabled jockeys’ fundOn Sunday, Remington Park will host a fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, which supports 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Even seemingly minor injuries can keep a jockey from racing, said Glen Murphy, local jockey and board member for the Jockeys Guild. Unfortunately, jockeys are prone to serious spine and neck injuries, he said. “When you lose business and income at the same time, it takes its toll,” Murphy said. “When you’re not there, somebody is taking your place. Then if you’re lucky enough to come back, you have to regain people’s trust; they don’t just give it back to you.” When jockeys are injured, racetracks help pay for their medical bills to varying degrees, Murphy said. Some pay $100,000, others $500,000, and there’s a push to increase it to $1 million, he said. But those amounts often aren’t nearly enough when there’s a serious injury, he said. “When we get hurt, we’ll usually receive $200 a week from the Jockeys Guild and $200 from the racetrack, but it’s very hard to pay your bills, especially with a family,” he said. “It’s a scary situation for families. We try to donate money to each other when we can to help keep them from losing everything they have.” When life is good for a jockey, the money can be plenteous. Owners of winning horses receive 60 percent of the purse, and jockeys receive 10 percent of that, Murphy said. Jockeys can earn their licenses at age 16 and have typically ended their careers in their early 30s, he said. But with a push for healthier eating and living, jockeys are now riding into the early 50s. At Sunday’s fundraiser, Remington Park will host Ray Paulick and Brad Cummings of the Paulick Report, a Web site for horse-racing fans, as part of their national tour to raise money for injured jockeys and cancer research. Remington is the fourth of seven racetrack stops on their “Breeders’ Cup or Bust” tour to California. They previously stopped in Chicago and Kentucky. The Breeders’ Cup is Nov. 6 and 7 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. At each track, Paulick and Cummings are given $1,000 from the TVG Network and HRTV to bet. Races begin at 1:30 p.m. at Remington. Also, jockeys at Remington will compete in a Hippity Hop Race at 5:15 p.m., riding large, bouncing rubber balls versus Paulick and Cummings. Murphy said Remington Park plans to “pass the jockey boot” for spectators to make donations. Proceeds will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, as well as the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Oklahoma Journal-Record |
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Ramon Dominguez Jockey of the WeekDominguez enjoyed an incredibly successful week at Belmont Park, winning seven stakes races and earning $641,618. The 32-year-old rider won four stakes during the New York Showcase Day card on October 24, capping it with a win aboard Haynesfield in the $250,000 Empire Classic Stakes “It’s special, especially being my first year riding year-round here,” Dominguez said. “It’s a very special day here in New York, and to be able to win four races is a great feeling, really.” The next day, he won a pair of $65,000 stakes. He kicked off his week with a victory in the Athenia Stakes (G3) on October 21 aboard Belle Allure (Ire). Through Tuesday, Dominguez led all North American-based riders by purse earnings with $15,326,336 and was second by victories with 334, trailing Russell Baze by just five. Dominguez has thrived since permanently moving his tack to the New York circuit this year. He won the riding title at the 2009 spring/summer meet at Belmont with 98 victories. He also posted the most wins and purse earnings during this summer’s Saratoga Race Course meeting. Thoroughbred Times TODAY
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
What makes a jockey tick.With international horses, it helps to get a chance to sit on them, know their idiosyncrasies, look at their videos to find a pattern they may have, or any changes you may want to make to that.
ADAPTABILITY
Being able to adapt is critical. If something changes, being able to make that split-second call is crucial so you can relate to the situation.
CONCENTRATION (2)
It's important not be be distracted or caught up in the occasion. You have to remain focused, but at the same time enjoy the day. It's a balancing act. I just try to go about my business in my normal way.
PATIENCE (3)
Obviously, you need to be patient, but there's a fine line as you don't want to miss the boat. It's a matter of making the right call at the right time. Sometimes you won't know until later whether you've made the right call. Plenty of people will be only too willing to let you know if you have made the wrong call.
VISION (4)
You need to be aware of not only what your horse is doing, but also the horses around you. In many ways you have to predict what is happening 100m-200m ahead of you, watch out for horses that are going to tire, look for horses that may take you into the race.
UPPER BODY (5)
Upper-body strength can't be overstated. Not only is it essential to hold a horse, but also get it to relax, settle and, when you are asking it, to extend at the end of a race. Boxing is a pursuit that helps in maintaining upper-body strength, and gives me a good cardio workout. Light weights also help.
CORE STRENGTH (6)
It's something I'm always working on, whether it's on medicine and fit balls, kettlebell exercises and/or squats or squat jumps. It's something I've had to work on since I had my fall about four years ago. Weight, of course, is crucial. You need to be sensible on what to eat.
HIPS (7)
You need to be strong through the hips, quads, abductor and adductor. You are in the squat position for so long and you really are balancing only on the balls of your feet. There is a lot of pressure coming through those points. If you ride regularly, the fitness in those areas is maintained. But if you're coming off a break, you need to work on those key areas.
HANDS (8)
Soft hands can be a jockey's best asset. The main connection with a horse is through the reins. All your energy, and theirs, is transmitted through the reins. If you are feeling nervous, uptight or too eager, I think that can be channelled to the horse.
AGGRESSION
It's well and good to have a killer instinct, but it's just as important to be cool, calm and collected. You need them to complement one another.
LEGS AND TOES (9)
May help your dance moves, but really have little to do with a jockey's make-up. You rest on the balls of your feet. More of your energy is transferred up through the legs and core of your body. Your calves have to be strong. I'm not a big fan of running. I prefer to jump on a bike.
BALANCE
Very important. Obviously you are resting solely on the balls of your feet. Horses can move in diffeent directions very quickly. You have to have balance and counter balance well. PerthNow with Adrian Dunn |
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Injured jockeys receive support, hope
Claire Novak is an award-winning journalist whose coverage of the thoroughbred industry appears in a variety of outlets, including The Blood-Horse Magazine, The Albany Times Union and NTRA.com. She lives in Lexington, Ky. |
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
BREEDERS’ CUP OR BUST TOUR TAKES OFF WEDNESDAY AT KEENELANDBreeders’ Cup Or Bust – a fundraising “drive” of the online publication Paulick Report – will begin a 10-day, seven-city tour whose ultimate destination is the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on November 6-7 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
The drive, undertaken by racing journalist Ray Paulick and Brad Cummings, partners in the Paulick Report, will raise money for Breeders’ Cup Charities benefiting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
PAULICK REPORT PRESENTS BREEDERS’ CUP OR BUST: A CHARITY FUNDRAISING ‘DRIVE’“Are you nuts?” I asked. I told Brad I was in the process of booking a flight but then, for some reason, said, “Why don’t you drive out there with me.” We had just been discussing our disappointment in not being able to get a group of people together from Central Kentucky to fill a chartered bus and attend a Chicago-area fundraiser Oct. 25 for apprentice jockey Michael Straight, who was seriously injured in a riding mishap at Arlington Park this summer. Brad had really been hoping to show that people in Kentucky had the young jockey in their thoughts and prayers, but understood that giving up a Sunday and Monday to attend the event was a tall order for many folks.
From that lunchtime meeting in Lexington came the idea for BREEDERS’ CUP OR BUST: A FUNDRAISING ‘DRIVE’ that gets under way at Keeneland this Wednesday (Oct. 28), continues at Hawthorne in Chicago on Thursday (Oct. 29), Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Sunday (Nov. 1), Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., next Monday (Nov. 2) and Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., next Tuesday (Nov. 3). We’ll stop at a Las Vegas racebook next Wednesday (Nov. 4) and then arrive at Santa Anita Park on the eve of the Breeders’ Cup. Click here to read the full details about the BREEDERS’ CUP OR BUST FUNDRAISING ‘DRIVE’. We made a few phone calls after our initial discussion, including one to someone at the Breeders’ Cup to see if the organization was interested in partnering with us on this crazy idea. To my astonishment, they were immediately supportive. So was TVG, the racing network and account wagering company, which will help promote this fundraising effort on both their telecasts and online through the TVG community as our exclusive media partner. Breeders’ Cup Charities officials suggested we branch out and consider a second charity to benefit from this drive, specifically The V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded by ESPN and the late North Carolina State basketball coach and television commentator Jim Valvano. Coach V, who died from brain cancer in 2003, gave the foundation its motto, “Don’t give up…Don’t ever give up,” during an unforgettable speech at the inaugural ESPY awards when he received the Arthur Ashe Courage & Humanitarian Award, just eight weeks before his death. We’ve all lost friends or loved ones to this disease, and the absence of stricken Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel from this year’s Breeders’ Cup will serve as a sad reminder of how devastating cancer can be. The V Foundation has funded vital research into unraveling the mysteries of cancer over the past 15 years. It ranks among the top 2% of all charities ranked by the independent organization, Charity Navigator, for maintaining extremely low administration and fundraising expenses. While these two organizations deal with serious medical issues, we plan to have some fun while raising money on behalf of Breeders’ Cup Charities and the two organizations. We’ll be raising awareness for them, too, chronicling each stop on the zig-zagging, 2,835-mile road trip with live blogs detailing our experiences.
Other promotions along the way include a race pitting the two traveling partners of the Paulick Report against members of the Remington Park jockey colony riding big, bouncing rubber balls. I think I’m at least 50-1 to win that contest. You’ll have an opportunity to support the ‘drive,’ too, by pledging a specific amount per mile at the Breeders’ Cup Charities secured web site and making a tax-deductible online donation. Please click here to donate now. In addition, for each of the six segments of the drive, we are soliciting individuals, businesses or charitable foundations as sponsors willing to donate a minimum of $2,000 to the charities. Please email us at info@paulickreport.comif you are interested in sponsoring a segment, which will be acknowledged throughout the trip in our daily blogs.
It’s been less than 18 months since the Paulick Report launched as an independent source of news and commentary for the Thoroughbred industry. As many of you know, in our early days we were sustained by the support of readers like you who contributed during National Public Radio-style fundraising drives. Since then, we’ve been blessed with overwhelming growth in both readership and advertising support from businesses throughout the racing and breeding communities. Because of that support, we feel privileged to be able to put our energies toward something that truly is a worthy cause. We are asking you to give again. Please join us in supporting Breeders’ Cup Charities to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Monday, October 26, 2009
From Australia: Warning over tough lifestyleBoss is dropping from 52 kilograms to 49.5 to ride in the weight-for-age championship of Australasia today, a piece of cake, if you will pardon the pun, after he starved himself down to a featherweight 47.5 to ride Samantha Miss last year. But Victoria University researcher and dietician Dr Vivienne Sullivan says wasting is more than an occupational hazard for jockeys. Having recently presented a PhD thesis to Racing Victoria on the topic, Sullivan says minimum weights need to be raised because people are getting bigger. As part of her thesis, she interviewed about one-quarter of Victoria's 189 flat-race jockeys last year. The principal results included: -80 per cent of jockeys reported difficulty in controlling weight. -83 per cent said wasting made them feel moody, 63 per cent said it made them feel depressed and 52 per cent reported that it made them angry. -76 per cent reported strained social relationships and a daily preoccupation with their weight that dominated other aspects of their lives. The findings have been welcomed by former jockey Simon Marshall, who believes racing authorities need to act on the weight scale in an era when ''everyone's growing taller than their parents''. Marshall, who rode more than 700 winners and 15 group 1 winners, ultimately quit riding because of the battle with his weight. It began on day one of his career, in fact, when he woke to find he needed to lose 0.75 kilograms for his debut at Yarra Glen. He was 15 years old. ''I needed to be 46 stripped, allowing two kilos for the gear. I was a tick under 47. My dad chucked me into the hot bath with electric salts. He put an element heater in the bathroom and I had to chock the door with towels. I sat there in that bath for 20 minutes and I lost a kilo. I was introduced to the life, basically.'' Marshall ate a piece of dry toast and a boiled egg and rode in four races that day, sucking on ice cubes to stave off dehydration. While most jockeys acknowledge this type of behaviour as an occupational hazard, it is the threat of dehydration and heat illness that makes it dangerous, according to Sullivan. Marshall's new book of anecdotes, Hold Ya Horses, details his collapse in the sauna at Caulfield in 1997. Taking it as a warning, he did not last much longer in the saddle. ''I was 15 to 18 kilos under my natural weight and I was getting towards the end,'' he told The Age this week. ''You can only put the body through so much. I physically tried to melt the muscle down by sweating and draining as much fluid as I could in the fresh air. That was mowing lawns, cardiovascular, running, bike, stepping machine in gyms.'' Victorian racing operates with a new, increased minimum weight of 51 kilograms for group 1 city races (except the two big cups, which have a 50 kilogram limit) and 52 kilograms for group 2 and country races. According to Sullivan, the authorities needed to go further. She says there needs to be assessments of young jockeys to see if they are suitable for the profession, that minimum weights should be raised on certain days, such as Boxing Day, and a designated break time for jockeys during the season.
One of the dominant themes of the survey is that jockeys find it difficult to enjoy festive times. ''It's not just a job; it's a lifestyle, and a big part of that is weight-loss and it invades every part of their life,'' she said. ''They choose not to go out because there's too big a temptation to eat and drink. They have a high-risk of negative moods, and they don't want to spark that off. So they isolate themselves.'' Marshall remembers these times only too well. ''You're like an alien in a family environment,'' he said. ''There's no normality. The racing industry suffocates a certain lifestyle 24-7. As a jockey, you have to fast, waste and diet 24-7. There is no break in this industry and it's a battle of the dollar. Families and relationships suffer. You can't let anything get in your way because if you don't get your weight, you don't have a job.'' Marshall fears for the future of the sport unless changes are made. He sees certain jockeys fighting against their own physiology. ''It's evolution,'' he said. ''With the preservatives and additives and proteins and fast food that kids are exposed to from a young age, it's all adding up. But I don't think the weight scale has changed for 20-odd years. ''In the Cox Plate, you're getting 48 kilograms. The Melbourne Cup, they're getting 50 kilograms. There's nobody there born to ride like that any more. Where are they going to come from? ''I would like to see more studies, more looking at the development of humans in comparison to our weight scale. ''Do we get like China and say 'we have to breed them?' Where are they going to come from. That's the problem we have. They're turning a blind eye to it.
Martin Blake/theage.com.au |
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Family members: Jockey died doing what he loved“He loved his grandchildren and he loved horses,” said MiChelle Reno, the late jockey’s daughter. For Pace, who would soon have become a proud grandfather for the eighth time, it was his equine passion that ultimately shortened his life. The Devine, Texas, resident was killed Sunday when he fell from a horse during a race at Sallisaw’s Blue Ribbon Downs. He was 58. A short memorial service for Pace will be held at the track before the races Saturday. Reno, of Spokane, Wash., said death might be the only force that could rein in her father, a restless man who was always on the move. “He went from track to track and ranch to ranch,” said Reno, the oldest of Pace’s six children. “He was a traveling man and kind of a loner — a real cowboy.” At Blue Ribbon Downs on Sunday, Pace was riding a 3-year-old filly during the first race when his mount ran into the rail, witnesses said. Pace, who fell off and struck his head, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Whether as a jockey or in other racing or ranch-related capacities, Pace spent most of his life in the saddle, Reno said. That included working side by side for several years with his father, who raised quarter horses on the family’s Othello, Wash., ranch until retiring from the business in the mid-1980s. Pace, an Air Force veteran who also rode bulls as a young man, began jockeying during that time, racing some of his father’s own horses. “He had horses in his veins,” Reno said. “It was his whole life.” After retiring from full-time jockeying in the late 1980s, he continued to jockey occasionally, although it had been several years since he last raced. Kortnei Reno, Pace’s 18-year-old granddaughter, didn’t get to see him often, except when he would blow in for visits. “He had the greatest personality and the biggest heart,” she Reno said. “He loved to tell me stories about his racing days, all the trophies he’d won and all the places he’d been.” Pace’s prize belt buckles, trophies and other racing mementos are spread out among family members and will be cherished, MiChelle Reno said. According to reports, Pace is the fourth rider to die in an Oklahoma race since 1940, when the Jockeys’ Guild began keeping records. Three of the deaths have come at Blue Ribbon Downs. Pace was named to replace jockey Mike Bishop of Vian, who was thrown from a horse on Saturday, before the start of races Sunday. The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission is investigating the incident and shouldn’t take long, said Tino Rieger, the commission’s executive director. “It’s a racing incident, and there aren’t that many factors to consider,” he said. Pace is survived by his parents, Marvin and Joan Pace of Othello, Wash., six children and seven grandchildren. An eighth grandchild is on the way, Reno said. She said the Pace family is originally from Oklahoma. Pace had told Reno previously that when he died he wanted to be cremated and his ashes spread at a race track, and that’s what will happen, she said. Some of Pace’s ashes will be distributed at the site of his final run. Jerry Green, a chaplain for Blue Ribbon Downs, is organizing the service, which he said is set for 11 a.m. Saturday either in the paddock area or jockeys’ quarters. “He died doing what he loved to do,” Green said. “When you go out doing what you love, you go out a winner.” by: TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer |
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Chilling Spills - By Dan LiebmanSadly, word was then received that at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., rider Mark Pace was killed Oct. 18 when he was thrown from his mount, Reep What You Sow, after she hit the rail. Mark Pace was 58 years old and had just arrived at the racetrack from a farm in Texas. He picked up the mount on the maiden claimer after jockey Mike Bishop was injured the day before and took off his mounts. It was only Pace’s second mount in 2009. He was said to have previously ridden more than 10 years ago, but Equibase shows no wins at recognized tracks for Pace. By contrast, Kyle Kaenel is only 21 but has been banged up enough already to call it quits. His riding career lasted five years. Kaenel, son of former rider Cowboy Jack Kaenel—who was the youngest jockey to win a Triple Crown race when he guided Aloma’s Ruler home in the 1982 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at the age of 16—was injured in a spill Sept. 27 at Fairplex Park. Kaenel’s mount, maiden claimer Sheval Dom Sallay, clipped heels, tossing him to the dirt. He suffered a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, acromion (a bone at the top of the shoulder blade), and pinched a nerve in his back. In previous riding accidents he had broken his back and neck. Having begun riding in the fall of 2004 at age 16, Kaenel had booted home 608 winners from 4,345 mounts; this year he had 47 winners, three in stakes races. Martin Escobar, 41, has numbers very similar to Kaenel’s. He began riding in 2001 and has 687 winners to his credit from 6,420 mounts. This year he has visited the winner’s circle 55 times from 469 mounts, with eight wins from 93 mounts at the current Remington meeting. Escobar had finished second in the last race at Remington Park Oct. 17 when his mount, Cuvee Blanc, fell just past the wire, unseating the rider. The jockey walked away under his own power but was later found to have a fractured hand and back and will be sidelined four to six weeks. Then there is Robby Albarado, who is one of the top riders in North America; the man who guided Curlin to his two Horse of the Year campaigns. Albarado, 36, has been aboard 4,067 winners from 24,668 mounts and is having an excellent 2009, with 166 victories from 929 races and three grade I wins. In the sixth race at Keeneland, Oct. 17, an allowance event on the turf, Albarado’s mount, My Baby Baby, stumbled at the start. In regaining her footing, My Baby Baby’s head came back and hit Albarado in the head, cutting the jockey near his right eye. He took off his mounts Oct. 18 but was expected to return to riding Oct. 21. It is hard enough for a jockey to maintain weight by sitting in a sweat box or purging what he or she eats. But there is much more to it than that. Jockeys compete in a sport that is not only demanding physically and mentally, but full of peril at every turn. The Jockeys’ Guild reports that 150 jockeys have been killed in riding accidents since 1940. Of course, accidents don’t just happen in the afternoons or evenings. The same dangers exist for jockeys and exercise riders who guide horses in their daily morning gallops and breezes. Padded helmets, protective vests, safety rails, synethetic surfaces—all have been designed to help protect those who ride Thoroughbreds. But this week’s headlines are yet another reminder of how dangerous it is to be an athlete who rides Thoroughbred horses for a living. The best thing you can wish a jockey as he or she is being legged up is simple: Have a safe trip. The Blood-Horse |
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Kaenel Retires from Race Riding“I have a broken (right) collarbone, a broken acromion, a broken shoulder blade, and a pinched nerve in my back, for which I have to see a spine surgeon on Wednesday,” said the tall and lanky Kaenel, son of legendary former rider Cowboy Jack Kaenel, who was the youngest jockey to win a Triple Crown race when he rode Aloma’s Ruler at the age of 16 in the 1982 Preakness Stakes (gr. I). “I already broke my neck and back in two places, and each time doctors have told me that’s it, as far as riding is concerned,” Kaenel continued. “I’ve got a family now, so I feel lucky if I can walk away from this one. I’ve got a beautiful wife (Trinity) and a beautiful little boy (Owen). I’ve got to take care of them.” The Kaenels live in Glendora, Calif. “It wouldn’t be fair to them for me to ask them to push me around in a wheelchair,” Kaenel said. “I rode for five years. It was a fun career, and I will miss it terribly.”
The Blood-Horse |
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Jockey dies after spill at Blue Ribbon DownsPace was taken to Sequoyah Memorial Hospital in Sallisaw after he was thrown from his mount, Reep What You Sow, who hit the rail on the backstretch during the 5 1/2-furlong maiden claiming race for fillies and mares. Pace was pronounced dead at 12:52 p.m., according to Jerry Green, the chaplain based at Blue Ribbon. Reep What You Sow was a pick-up mount for Pace. He was new to the Blue Ribbon meet, having come up from a farm in south Texas in the last couple of weeks. Green said services for Pace will be held at the track, with a date to be determined. Pace is believed to have just recently resumed riding after a 10-year hiatus. Blue Ribbon officials canceled the remainder of its card Sunday upon learning of Pace's death. Daily Racing Form |
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Insurance gaps for jockeys are a catastropheThe New York jockey was riding a 2-year-old maiden named Bully for Us, who broke down at the top of the stretch, pitching him to the ground with a screeching thud. At North Shore University Hospital, doctors found Rojas had three fractures of the spine, a broken shoulder, the loss of three teeth and contusions. Dr. Thomas Mauri, an orthopedic specialist, concluded, “He is totally disabled on a permanent basis.” If there is such a thing as a consolation for all the pain and misery Rojas has endured, it came in the mail last month: a check for $573,000 from an insurance company, the payout from a New York Racing Association policy that protects jockeys against catastrophic injury. Jose Santos, a star in the New York jockey colony for years, suffered a similar fate. Nine months before Rojas’ fall, Santos went down in a three-horse disaster at Aqueduct on Feb. 1, 2007, fracturing five vertebrae and some ribs. Santos, then 46 and a member of the Hall of Fame, had no option but to quit. He reportedly received $800,000 from the insurance company. Rojas and Santos were “lucky” their accidents occurred at a New York track. New York is one of just five states that provide catastrophic injury insurance to jockeys. The others are New Jersey, Maryland, California and Idaho. Rene Douglas was not so lucky. A six-time leading jockey at Arlington Park in Illinois, Douglas went down in a race at that track on May 23. His horse cartwheeled over him, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Illinois — like Kentucky, Florida and other states — does not have catastrophic insurance for its jockeys. Douglas gets nothing. “He’s left out in the cold,” said Terry Meyocks, national manager of the Jockeys’ Guild. “That’s why we are holding fund raisers.” Three months after Douglas’ tragedy, Michael Straight, a 23-year-old apprentice, was stricken at Arlington when his horse clipped heels and fell. He suffered four fractured vertebrae. Illinois again. No insurance for the jockey, just fund raisers. Joseph Faraldo, the Queens attorney who represented Rojas through the insurance process, still had a fight on his hands with the insurer, and it took nearly two years to get the money. “We cooperated in every way with them,” Faraldo said. “It was only when we sued that they sent the check.” Faraldo, a prominent harness horse official, owner and driver, has fought for years for medical insurance for the participants in his industry. “We’ve had drivers like Billy Haughton and Dave Dunckley killed on the racetrack,” he said. “We have people in wheelchairs but all we have is a U.S. Trotting Association rule that harness tracks should provide medical insurance up to at least the daily purse structure at the track.” At a track such as Saratoga Harness in upstate New York, that would be about $90,000 worth of insurance. “But all they have is $5,000 worth of insurance. Forget catastrophic injury,” Faraldo said. “I don’t believe any racetrack should get a credential without having minimum medical insurance for [participants].” “I’ve told the State Racing and Wagering Board they’re sitting on a time bomb.” If tracks can spin off hundreds of millions of dollars for education, the state, purses and marketing, the least they can do is provide insurance for the people who take the risks and help make it all possible. It’s time the tracks came out of the Dark Ages.
By RAY KERRISON/New York Post
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Borel Among Top Jockeys Set for Jockey Day Oct. 20 Currently on the list are GI Kentucky Derby and Oaks winner Calvin Borel; GI Belmont S., GI Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Kent Desormeaux; Hall-of-Famer Chris McCarron; Triple Crown winner Jean Cruguet; top female jockey Patricia Cooksey and Randy Romero, who partnered undefeated champion Personal Ensign.
Also scheduled to appear are "Chillie" Willie Martinez;
helmet, top halters, and more--will be conducted.
Tickets to the event are $50 ($25 for Old Friends members and shareholders). Proceeds benefit Old Friends and the Don Macbeth Memorial Jockey Fund. Reservations are strongly suggested and are available by calling the farm at (502) 863-1775. Thoroughbred Daily News |
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
Rajiv Maragh Jockey of the WeekMaragh won the First Lady Stakes (G1) aboard Diamondrella (GB) on Saturday and the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) aboard Negligee on Friday, both at Keeneland Race Course, en route to purse earnings of $1,011,877 last week. For the season, Maragh has won seven Grade 1 races and ranks seventh among all North American-based riders in purse earnings with $10,257,967 through Tuesday. Born in He went on to win the apprentice jockey riding title at the Meadowlands in 2004 and was second in the overall riding standings in ’05 and ’06 at the Maragh primarily rides the |
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Thursday, October 08, 2009
Desormeaux Named Jockey of the WeekSummer Bird’s victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Belmont Park provided $450,000 of Desormeaux’s $686,157 in earnings during the period. Desormeaux, 39, also captured the Shadwell Travers Stakes (G1) and his first career Belmont Stakes (G1) aboard the three-year old Birdstone colt this season. For the year, Desormeaux’s $10,638,356 in purse earnings ranks fourth among North American-based riders through October 6. A three-time Eclipse Award winner [twice as outstanding jockey, once as outstanding apprentice], Desormeaux was the youngestjockey ever to reach 3,000 career victories when he accomplished the feat at age 25 in 1995. About six years later, at age 30, he reached the 4,000-win mark. In July 2008, he became the 23rd North American-based rider to reach the 5,000-win plateau when he guided Bella Attrice to a victory at Saratoga Race Course.Through October 5, he has 5,219 wins from 26,774 mounts.
Thoroughbred Times TODAY |
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Wednesday, October 07, 2009
BENEFIT FOR INJURED JOCKEY MICHAEL STRAIGHT OCT. 25 The event, which is open to the public, costs $50 per person and includes an evening of Hors d’Oeuvres, live music by Beatles tribute band Strawberry Fields Forever, singer Victor Pacini and additional entertainment to be announced. |
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Wednesday, October 07, 2009
New Helmet Regulations for Keeneland Fall Meet:The new standards read: A person mounted on a horse or stable pony at a location under the jurisdiction of the commission shall wear a properly secured safety helmet at all times. If requested by a commission official, the person shall provide sufficient evidence that his helmet has a tag, stamp, or similar identifying marker indicating that it meets one of the following safety standards: (a) ASTM International Standard, ASTM F1163-04a; (b) British Standards, BS EN 1384:1997 or PAS 015:1999; or (c) Australian/ |
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Monday, October 05, 2009
Turfway Park Autograph Session to Benefit PDJFTurfway Park Communications Department
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Friday, October 02, 2009
DOMINGUEZ GETS 300th NYRA WIN |
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Thursday, October 01, 2009
John Velazquez Jockey of the WeekIndian Blessing, a two-time champion, accounted for $93,900 of Velazquez’s $355,27 in earnings last week. Velazquez also won the $65,000 Commemorate Stakes with Pashito the Che, the $65,000 Spooky Mulder Stakes aboard Ravalo, and the $65,000 Cat Chat Stakes on Malibu Prayer during the week. For the year, Velazquez’s $9,929,611 in purse earnings through September 29 rankshim sixth among North American-based jockeys.Velazquez, 37, has won three Grade 1 races this year—the Forego Stakes (G1) with Pyro, the Vinery Madison Stakes (G1) with Informed Decision, and the Florida Derby Presented by BlackBerry(G1) with Quality Road. Velazquez twice won the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey(2004-’05) and captured the ’04 Bill Shoemaker Award as top jockey during the Breeders’ Cup at Lone Star Park. He has seven Breeders’ Cup victories to his credit and captured the 2007 Belmont Stakes (G1) aboard filly Rags to Riches for trainer Todd Pletcher. Thoroughbrd Times TODAY |
We hope you’ll stop by the Paulick Report, beginning Wednesday when BREEDERS’ CUP OR BUST starts at Keeneland, where the jockey colony will be autographing Breeders’ Cup caps and I’ll be participating in a one-on-one handicapping challenge with local radio personality Tom Leach, the voice of the Kentucky Wildcats. Breeders’ Cup is staking us to a bankroll that we hope to increase throughout the trip with help from the TVG community and handicappers and horseplayers at each track. Jockeys' Guild Annual Assembly Re-cap
Jockeys Supporting Michael Straight
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