The 95th Canadian Derby took place Saturday at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino. The event is the richest race in western Canada.
Rough Catch gave local fans one of the biggest upsets in modern Canadian racing history. This week Navin and Frank discuss the win as well as how they would introduce someone to horse racing.
1. They Wont Tell You
Jockeys make or break horse races. Their judgments, based on sound analysis of the horses and other riders, are the basis upon which horse races can be won or lost. These are not people who take their jobs lightly. Jockeys love their work and feel a responsibility to their horses and to the sport. But they know that racing is not for the faint of heart.
A jockey’s life is a strange thing. It’s a lonely, isolated job where you see the annual race attracts top thoroughbreds, jockeys, and enthusiasts. They are not a part of a team, but rather, a single rider and his horse. They spend long hours alone on the back of a galloping thoroughbred, sometimes for miles at a time, and often with only their thoughts to keep them company.
In this solitary existence, they often suffer from depression. In addition, they can also be subjected to the cruel, sometimes ludicrous, whims of the racing industry.
For example, the whip rules that limit when and how often a jockey can use his or her whip are a source of frustration for many riders. They feel that these rules do not help the safety of the horses they are riding.
They are also frustrated with the constant pressure to be “popular.” Jockeys and their families want to be respected, but they do not desire the adulation that is given to soccer players or cricket players. This is not to say that they are not courageous and deserving of admiration, but that their courage and accomplishments should be judged on their own merits.
One of the most interesting things to be learned about a jockey is how much of his or her success depends on luck. For instance, the 1964 Kentucky Derby was won by Northern Dancer, a horse who seemed to be a major talent when he first appeared in America that fall. However, his chances of winning the Run for the Roses were greatly reduced that spring when he suffered from what is known as a quarter crack in his left front hoof. He would have been eliminated had it not been for the invention of a procedure called vulcanizing, which enabled the split to be repaired.
2. They Wont Tell You
If you think horse racing is a dangerous sport because jockeys sometimes get into fist fights or throw their crop at each other in the stretch of a race, then you haven’t spent much time around horses. In fact, the riders are the ones who make horse racing a dangerous sport, not their horses or their trainers. They are little guys, and they know better than anyone that if they don’t make it through the race alive then there will be no next day.
Often when you meet a jockey they will tell you that they were around horses all their life, or that one of their family members was involved in the business. This is why they are so passionate about the game. They have a love for horses that comes from generations of involvement. This love is what motivates them to do all that they can to help the sport and the horses.
The Canadian Derby has returned to its glory days of being a special day on Edmonton’s sports calendar, and the credit for that goes as much to the horsemen as it does to the race itself. This year’s 13-race card with 117 horses going into the gates at Century Mile is part of what makes the event so popular, but it is also the fact that the people who own and train the horses put such a huge effort into getting them ready for the big day.
Jerri Robertson is the perfect example of a horse owner and trainer who goes all out for her horses. Her three-year-old gelding Smart Play is competing in this weekend’s 92nd running of the Canadian Derby and he is a 10-1 long shot to win.
She says that she has been preparing her horse for the big race at her facility in Devon, Alberta. She has been training him with the help of her husband, who is a veterinarian and her daughter Maye who will be riding him in the race.
Robertson has had some good luck in the past with her horses in the Canadian Derby. Last year her horse, Edison, won the race and the year before she finished second with Chief Know It All.
3. They Wont Tell You
The media people in racing are always looking for what they call human interest. They want to see jockeys who are portrayed as heroes, and they like to compare them to goal-scoring soccer strikers or swashbuckling batsmen. They don’t always succeed. But it is important that they try.
There is one aspect of the job that the media tend to forget, and that is how difficult it can be for the riders. Jockeys are little more than athletes who mount horses and guide them through the race. The horses are their bosses and they are the only ones who really matter in a race. Once the gates open they are in a world of their own, a world that is totally dependent upon the performance of their horse.
It is not easy for an apprentice jockey to get a ride. Trainers will often give their best riders a maiden, something green and with almost no chance of winning. It is not the kind of ride young apprentices would go out and ask for, but they know how much it will help them get better. They are hungry and they will do it.
Jockeys have more discipline now than they ever had and they are more sensible about their health. They don’t use diuretic tablets anymore and they are not taking drugs that could cause long-term damage.
In the past, there were many incidents of jockeys tangling with each other. The most notorious was the Kentucky Derby 91 years ago when Don Meade on Brokers Tip and Herb Fisher on Head Play used their fists and crops on each other down the stretch.
This weekend at Century Mile there will be a full field of 115 horses for the Canadian Derby and it could turn out to be a memorable race. There is a lot of interest in Game Winner, who was the offspring of Candy Ride and has 4-1 odds to win.
The other top contenders are Gunfighter, Regal Riot and Soaringforthesun. A lot of money has been placed on these runners, which is to be expected for a race of this calibre.
4. They Wont Tell You
Whether they like it or not, jockeys are the face of horse racing. And that is probably not a coincidence. The media is always looking for what they call ‘human interest’ – which is basically just an excuse to talk about horses and jockeys in the same breath. Hence the obsessive attention that top jockeys get.
That’s why it was so refreshing to see that one of them, Kyle XY’s Chris Munce, spent the time after Saturday’s Canadian Derby talking about his love for young apprentices and how he has found that many of the youngsters have more to their lives than just riding horses. He says he has even seen some of them play sports or have kids.
Munce’s comments are in stark contrast to those of trainers who are often quick to criticize or blame a jockey for a mistake or a failure on the track. Just last year trainer Chip Woolley took a swipe at Calvin Borel for misriding Mine That Bird in the third leg of the Triple Crown. Then in the weeks leading up to the Canadian Derby he was critical of jockey Jesse McCarthy for spooking Omaha Beach in the early stages of the race.
There were a number of long shots in the Canadian Derby and one of them, 18-1 runner-up Real Grace, is owned by Winnipeg trainer Shelley Brown who is fighting stage four cancer. Her story is an inspiration and her win is a reminder that even the biggest underdogs can defy the odds.
I have never understood why some people want to raise the weight limits for jockeys. Surely it isn’t because they are worried that jockeys are not disciplined enough or that they might be doing themselves long term harm? I think it is a load of bollocks. Even if the riders were a pound over limit they would still be very fit and healthy.
One of the most famous examples of jockeys tangling with each other occurred 91 years ago at the Kentucky Derby when Don Meade on Brokers Tip and Herb Fisher on Head Play used their fists and crops to brawl down the stretch in their fight for victory. It was a memorable moment and it is a shame that it hasn’t really changed the way some people look at riding.
