It isn't something most people think about after the race is finished, but it was something I thought about one day while watching the races. For one, I can only imagine the amount of pressure to carry on your shoulders and then to actually win the race in the eyes of the public you are supposed to win. Wow, that is quite some weight on the shoulder! All that being said, there is still another factor involved with the race and that is the horses. Horses are living creatures, they are a high priority and they do have illnesses and sometimes they don't always perform as we expect them to on race day.
The point here is that jockeys do have feelings and they probably can hear the things that are being said about them even in different languages or sometimes indirectly. The horses probably don't understand what you are saying, but instinctively they probably do feel good also when nice things are being said about them. I spoke with Kirk Johnson recently and he uttered the very same thing about language toward jockeys and him being a jockey, it sometimes hurts when hearing some things being said.
Horse racing is a sport and many things can go wrong before a race.
What handicappers should know is that every owner and trainer feels like they have a legitimate shot at winning and that's why they enter the horses into the races, at least most of the time.
There was a time when a horse ran off with the jock and for whatever reason, the groom gave the jockey an earpiece with words I shouldn't repeat. Was the groom wrong about his behavior? It's another argument on another day for those who feel strongly about one side or the other.
Jockeys, on the other hand, do get sick also and like horses, many things could affect them on race day.
I was hanging around the paddock one afternoon and was so unfortunate to witness a fan trying really hard to heckle Patrick Husbands. As many know, Patrick Husbands is an outstanding jockey and will one day go down in the Hall of fame for his outstanding career as a jockey. I was stuck because, as a spectator, I wanted to say something but I let it continue just to see how far the behavior was going.
I really wanted to have some words with the belligerent fan to update him on a few things which I felt were necessary but my inner peace said to be calm. This guy kept on going, saying things like Husbands you are washed up and you are no good and then I looked him in the face to see if he was insane. I didn’t smell his breath because covid still lurks but it was quite clear that he had to be drunk, uttering words like that.
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| Jodeien Anderson |
Now I know what you are wondering and you are probably thinking about how this will end? How could anyone put up with that behavior without losing their mind?
The jock who the fan was heckling was Jodeien Anderson and he was simply minding his business and taking instructions. No, he wasn't Patrick Husbands so he probably never even knew that the words were directed at him. Honestly, the behavior was very irritating to watch and listen to, but sometimes it’s people like the fan who can benefit from some paddock etiquette amongst many other things.
What was my question again? Have you ever wondered how jockeys felt after losing a race they were supposed to win?
Well, I did ask the question to a jock and he quickly mentioned that usually, the winning is about 90% of the horse's ability. So even though jockeys will get the blame and will gladly take that responsibility their part is very small in comparison to the animal but they do feel terrible.
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| Keveh Nicholls after winning his first race this season. |