Page 10 - January 2005 The Game

10 The Game, January 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Where Do All the Jockeys Go?
Jockey Jim McAleney and his Agent Mike Luider at Payson Park in Florida in February2003
The Game - file photo 2003
By Peter Gross
If you lived your whole life at the track, you’d find the decades flying by at warp speed. Another year of thoroughbred racing has wrapped in Ontario and the question is, what do all the local jockeys do with them- selves? For almost nine months, it’s brutally early mornings followed by perilous afternoons. So now what?
Bug boy Corey Fraser can thank the rules of horse racing for his decision.
“I’ll be taking a quick vacation and then going around visiting trainers,” says Fraser who is 27, but looks no older than the featherweight star of the High School wrestling team,
“I won’t be riding. If I ride it ruins my apprenticeship,” he tells us, referring to the fact that rookie riders get a five pound break until hitting the winners circle 45 times or riding for a full calendar year - whichever occurs last. Riding in another jurisdiction would eat into apprentice time Fraser would prefer to use up here.
We’ve taken to calling 21 year old Jillian Scharfstein the world’s only Jewish princess jockey (and will continue to do so until someone proves otherwise) but the length of the Woodbine racing season forced her to miss Chanukah. Her plans are to head west.
“I’ll go home to Saskatoon for a couple weeks, see my family and spend Christmas there,” says Scharfstein,
Then I’ll go down to Florida for a couple of months.”
Kelly MacKay told me she’s off to Nova Scotia to visit her family for a while. You’ll notice that MacKay is also a contributor to The Game and I’ve warned her that since she’s never been bumped off a horse for me, I better not see her column in place of mine. It’s a territorial thing.
It’s been another good year for Jim McAleney who’ll be giving his body a break this winter.
“Mostly I’m going to stay at home with my kids and my wife. We’ve got a little ten acre farm and I’m looking forward to a little down time with them,” says the family man,
“We’re planning a trip in January to California and then March break, we’re going to do the Florida thing. The kids love Disney World.”
Here’s a question? How does one get to be McAleney’s kid?
The ageless veteran David Clark will also be in Florida. He might work a few horses, but doesn’t plan to ride in races until the 2005 spring meet at Woodbine.
Steve Bahen is another who feels he could benefit by staying away from a starting gate for a few weeks.
“I don’t ride at all in the winter. I like to give my body a break,” insists Bahen who, at 5’6”, has to stay rail thin to meet his riding weight.
Constant Montpellier will be playing the role of typical Canadian kid this winter,
“I’m going to play hockey, lots of shinny. Last year I played old-timers and tournaments,” says Montpellier who stick-handled to his 1000th career win in late November.
Chantal Sutherland is planning on going to Gulfstream mostly to gallop horses, but if a ride comes her way she won’t be shy. I asked her if she had any New Year’s resolutions.
“Well, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink,” she says trying to come up with something,
“I guess I should just stay away from....” And she leaves us wonder- ing how to finish the sentence. Stay away from jockeys? From reporters? From gamblers?
Richard Dos Ramos will also migrate south,
“I’m going to head down to Florida the first of February, might get some rides. This year I want to get fit really early. Maybe ride a couple in Tampa and come back here for April 1st,” reports Dos Ramos.
Rui Pimentel might run into Dos Ramos. Pimentel will also be in Florida but plans to be on golf courses more than on Gulf horses.
Got to give Jack Lauzon credit. He’s thinking of returning to the scene of his most unpleasant experience. In spite of the fact that he cracked three vertebrae in a spill 5 years ago at Macau, he’s weighing
the idea of going back to the far east.
“I’m waiting for an answer from Macau,” says Lauzon, “It’s a possibility and if not, maybe Florida with Roger Attfield. I’ll exercise in Florida ifIgo,butifIgobacktoAsia, I’ll go back to racing.”
Rocket Ray Sabourin seems to have planned himself a full agenda,
“Two days after the races are
over, I’ll jump on a plane going
to Costa Rica with my family
for a little holiday, back home
for Christmas and I’m going to
head down to Florida and break
up my time between Ocala and South Miami,” Sabourin says.
“A lot of horsemen are down there that I ride for up here so I’ll just spend a little time with them, get on some horses and kill the winter.”
Dino Luciani is obviously a guy who knows how to enjoy himself.
“I’m pretty well taking winter off. I’ll be going to Vegas, just drinking and gambling,” says Luciani already smelling the black jack tables, “Maybe go somewhere else for a little vacation, but I’m just going to eat and be merry.”
What’s really fascinating about the riding community at Woodbine is the variety of places these people are from. Jono Jones plans to return to his native Barbados and as returning hero, he should get some live mounts.
“I’m the Mayor down there,” he boasts laughingly, “It’s a good atmosphere, like a fair.”
Newcomer Eurico Rosa da Silva will reunite with family and friends in South America.
“I’ll go to Brazil for a holiday. I’ll probably race two or three stakes. IrodeinMacautooandIhadagood time. For me Canada is a beautiful place.” Sure is Eurico; 20 minutes after telling me this, he scored at 3-1 in the third.
Happy Ando will be taking one of the longer flights out.
“I’m going home to Japan. I will spend my time there.” And when I asked Ando about New Year’s
resolutions, he told me,
“Japanese
have a very special New Year. We go to temple and pray to God.”
(Not unlike many in attendance at Woodbine during the final furlong of the superfecta.)
Sunny Singh who was born in British Guiana has definite plans to go to Florida and try and do some riding there.
Mexican jockey Martin Ramirez will be at George Steinbrenner’s Tampa Bay Downs. Ramirez put up some great numbers at Fort Erie, but his New Year’s resolution is to match those stats at the big track,
“I’m going to try to break through here,” Ramirez insists, “It’s very tough at Woodbine. It’s always been.”
So after finding out that most of the jockeys will be getting on planes and flying to warm and exotic locales, I was thinking how much pleasure these amazing men and women have given me over the years. Perhaps I can give a little back.
I phoned the media relations department of Air Canada and was connected to Laura Cook.
“I’ve been talking to jockeys lately,” I started, hoping to impress her, “And I’m wondering if Air Canada has ever thought of offering reduced fares to very light adults.”
Laura Cook politely tells me that the rates are the same regardless of the weight of the individual.
“All our customers are jockeying for the lowest fares possible,” she tells me,
CONT. PG. 36 - SEE WHERE JOCK GO
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