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 Ride of his life Antley on the verge of becoming a Triple Crown jockey
Posted: Thursday June 03, 1999 04:43 PM
BALTIMORE (CNN/SI) -- Jockey Chris Antley accepted the trophy for Charismatic's victory in the Preakness and then left to get ready for his next race. "I asked him, in light of what had just happened, if he really wanted to ride," said winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas, referring to the tradition of winning riders in the Preakness to skip the final race of the day at Pimlico. "He looked at me, and said, 'Two months ago, I would have ridden in it.'" Two months ago, Antley would have been happy to ride in any race, and the fact he was standing on the verge of becoming the jockey of a Triple Crown winner wasn't going to stop him from doing his job. "I'm trying to take it all in," said the 33-year-old Antley. "This whole thing is special." How special, only Antley can appreciate -- because he knows how close it came to slipping away. The talented but mercurial rider had forged a career that included leading the nation in victories with 485 in 1985 and piloting his first Kentucky Derby winner in Strike the Gold in 1991, but was also buffeted by substance-abuse problems and bouts of depression. He tested positive for marijuana in 1988, and later that same year tested positive for cocaine. Although seen by many as the most gifted rider of his generation, Antley had trouble focusing on his responsibilities, and he moved his tack from the East Coast to the West Coast in 1992-93. He did all right for a while, but started having difficulties with his weight, which he struggled to keep at an optimum of 114 pounds. But last fall, he let his weight balloon to 147 pounds, and he returned to his father's home in South Carolina. After watching a horse race on television, he vowed to return to the sport he excelled at, and began a rigorous training program that included running up to 25 miles a day. The pounds came off, slowly, and earlier this year he returned to riding in Southern California. "It was magical when I came back to ride after 15 months and went into the jocks' room and saw my radio, my pants, my picture, my cigar box with all my stuff in it all set up in the corner, the same way when I last rode," Antley said. "I felt this lucky or magical thing when Wayne asked me to ride." It was in April that Lukas bumped into Antley in the tunnel at Santa Anita and, on a hunch, told him: "I'm running a horse in the Lexington Stakes [April 18 at Keeneland], but you're my choice to ride him in the Derby." Antley, who had rarely ridden for Lukas when his career was at its peak during the late 1980s and early 1990s, went home and called his father, Les. "Wouldn't it be neat if I could ride in it?" Antley recalled telling him. Antley did more than just ride in the Derby. In a race characterized by a rough-and-tumble first turn that eliminated a half-dozen contenders, Antley kept Charismatic free and clear of trouble, then went four-wide to take the lead entering the stretch and hold off the late-charging Menifee. In the Preakness, Antley turned in another superb performance, letting the big chestnut settle in well off the early pace, then gunning for the lead on the far turn and holding all challengers at bay to the wire. "Chris made a bold move -- my heart jumped a little bit because I thought it might be early, but it was perfect," Lukas said. "It's a nice little marriage between Chris and Charismatic. It's a nice combination." Lukas, who is usually associated with higher profile riders such as Gary Stevens, Laffit Pincay Jr. and Mike Smith, said he felt Antley was more focused now that he had ever been. "He is focused," Lukas said. "He's appreciative, he sees the window of opportunity. ... We didn't give him anything. We put him in the game, and he came through." Now, Antley stands just 1 1/2 miles -- the distance of the June 5 Belmont Stakes -- from joining such racing greats as Eddie Arcaro Jr. and Steve Cauthen as riders of Triple Crown winners. Six times since Affirmed won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1978, horses have come to the brink of racing history. And six times, including Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998, they have faltered. For Antley, just getting to this point was enough. "The road back was long and hard, and maybe that's what I needed -- to have it taken away and not be able to get it back." Get it back, he did.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | |||||||||||||||||
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