My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
The Paulick Report‘s Natalie Ross has ridden all her life. After spending time at the track, she had a hankering to gallop a race horse. She discovered that it’s harder than it looks. One of the things I hadn’t really calculated is how difficult it is just to stay perched up there, much less stay […]
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They don’t call Jockey Mike Smith “Big Money Mike” for nothing. Smith, at age 52 is one of the oldest jockeys on the circuit — and one of the most successful. Last year, Smith won an astonishing 15 Grade 1 races, the most since he won 20 back in 1994. And, he’s still the “go […]
Read MoreNothing like flashing the entire grandstand . . . and having the moment live on in posterity on YouTube. I guess the consolation for jockey Blake Shinn is that he came in second.
Read MoreAs if California Chrome’s Derby win wasn’t a good enough story . . . Victor Espinoza, who piloted the colt to victory, donates 10 percent of all his earnings to the City of Hope, a charity that benefits children who have cancer. “One day I went to visit some kids in the hospital who had […]
Read MoreIn Australia, being a jockey is considered to be the highest risk land-based job. Other lists I’ve read don’t put riding racehorses in the top 10 and this surprises me. After all, crouching over the neck of a 1,000 pound horse running at 35 mph right on the heels of several other horses, carries with […]
Read MoreCheck out this fun video. It gives you a “helmet cam” experience of breezing Zenyatta. Just use your imagination and start to feel the wind whipping by!
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