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 A jockey's view Jockeys need courage and a good horse to win
Posted: Wednesday April 28, 1999 01:20 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNN/SI) -- Only minutes to post time. The tension is washing over the rail. From crowd to racetrack, the horses are straining against their bits. And the rider's job is just beginning. "By the time we leave the paddock and go to the gate you try to keep the horse calm," Laffit Pincay said. "You like it when the horse is calm, when he's not as nervous." But as the gate is moments away from opening, it's the jockey's mind that is racing. "Probably the most anxious time in a race is sitting in the starting gate waiting for that bell to ring the doors to open and the horses to come charging out of there," said two-time Kentucky Derby winner Chris McCarron. "I've got a game plan set in mind. Most of the time I've got plan B and plan C as well. "So you're going over all this stuff as the horses are loading and the next thing you know they're yelling 'Last horses in.' And then blam! You're off and running." It's that sheer power of the horse that keeps the riders on their toes. And sends chills up their spines. "When you're riding a horse that weighs from 900-1200 pounds," Gary Stevens said, "going from 0 to 40 mph in a split second when the gates open and feeling that power underneath you is amazing." After the initial explosive surge of horsepower, the horse settles into stride and the rider begins to communicate. "Some horses are so responsive they simply move to body movement," said Kent Desormeaux, who rode Real Quiet to last year's Derby win. "I mean you lean forward on one, you know balance and kind of wherever you situate your body in the saddle they respond to it." On the backstretch, the riders in front are trying to ration their speed. The ones behind know they need to keep the leaders in sight. "As you're moving on down the backside there's a lot of dirt coming back in your face," McCarron said. "You have to think about pulling goggles down and hopefully those butts you're looking at in front of you are getting bigger and bigger instead of smaller and smaller." Into the far turn, the rider measures the field, looks for an opening and makes his move. It's often a calculated risk with no margin for error. Although danger lurks, accidents are rare. And now as they roll for home, it's time to ask for more. "A lot of horses are very generous, McCarron said. "They'll just respond from chirps [noises] clucking and yelling and stuff like that." But if sweet talking isn't enough… "You draw the persuader," McCarron said. "You crack 'em with the whip and you ask for a little more speed." The horses now are exhausted, but somehow the rider has to hold it all together. Because now the rider can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. "You know you can taste victory," said Desormeaux, who nearly led Real Quiet to the Triple Crown last year. "There's nothing like that feeling when you know you're going to win." When you make your living flying around a racetrack on a fiery thoroughbred in heavy traffic it takes talent and amazing bravery. To succeed jockeys need two more things -- a good horse under them and a heart you can't measure on any scale. "It's like any job -- we have our peaks and valleys," Stevens said. "But all in all, I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world."
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