Where’s the Jockey Love?

Jockeys deserve more credit. These supermen in tiny tights are meticulously professional and remain the driving forces behind some of the biggest names in horse racing. Consider American jockey legend Calvin Borel. This year, Borel first won the Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird, then, switched horses to a philly, and road Rachel Alexandria all the way to the Preakness title. Come on people, where’s the Jockey Love?

The horses always seem to get all the credit…One can rattle off several famous horse names like Mine That Bird, Secretariat, Seabiscuit and countless others. But many people, myself included, are at a loss when it comes to naming the Jockeys that ride these magnificent steeds to victory.

Why do the horses receive more fame? Doesn’t seem fair to me, it’s a partnership, they ride and the horse strides, it’s like Jordan and Pippen baby. Isn’t it? Not at all an expert on this topic, I put down my mint julep and decided to do some research. It seems that a typical jockey accounts for only around ten percent of the success of his horse. That means a shitty horse has no chance even if the best jockey in the world is riding it. So what is in that ten percent that separates the best from the rest?