Page 99 - November 2021

FINANCIAL PLANNING
CODY JENSEN
Cody is someone for whom I have
a lot of respect.
He and his wife, Amy, are very down-to-earth people. His favorite horse to ride was Catchmeinyourdreams. “He brought me from Wyoming
to winning Grade
1’s in California.
He was really just a lot of fun to ride,” said Cody. “I don’t have many regrets. I’m pretty pleased with how my career went.” Similar
to myself, he said the most influential
person throughout his career was his father. “He taught me how to ride a horse, be professional, and how to win.” Cody also mentioned R.D. Hubbard as an influential person throughout his career. “Everyone needs a mentor both on and off the track,” said Cody. I asked Cody about his favorite year as a jockey, and he said 2005. “I was coming off a real bad injury and that was the time Scoop Vessels took me under his wing. I won my first All American that year and it was a sort of coming out party for my career. Paul Jones and Scoop stood behind me and I was able to take advantage of the opportunity.”
JAMES LACKEY
James is one
of the nicest guys you’ll meet. He told me his favorite horse to ride was Cash Rate. “He won the Champion of Champions
and it was special being the first one for me. I needed
a special horse and that was it. I was able
to fly my dad out for the race,” said James. He also explained how fortunate he was to retire healthy. I asked James if he retired on his own terms and he had this to say, “Yes and no. I broke my neck in 1994 and I was off a year before I could come back in ‘95. I was doing good and fighting my way back. At that time, my doctor informed me that if I had another accident like that, I could end up paralyzed or dead. It wasn’t fair to my family, trainers, and owners to continue to put myself at risk with the possibility
of having to rely on people to take care of
me. My retirement was bittersweet.” James went on and explained how there’s nothing like riding a race horse and feeling their heartbeat. “For us jockeys, we haven’t found anything to replace the feeling of winning a race.” James would’ve started riding sooner
if he could go back. Like many others, his dad was the most influential person to his career. He said, “My dad installed horsemen characteristics in me and a very strong work ethic, which builds you to be loyal and honest to people you meet. That played a
big role to my success as a jockey. I wasn’t blessed with the God given talent of riding, but thanks to my dad teaching me hard work and dedication, I knew it would eventually pay off. Unfortunately, my mom passed away before I reached my prime. I’m grateful my dad got to watch me grow and become a good rider. I had some awful big shoes to
fill, and I don’t think I ever filled them, but I think he was proud.”
KIP DIDERICKSEN
I had the privilege to talk
to Kip for a bit,
in between his elk hunts. Kip was quick to mention Corona Chick when I asked about his favorite horse to ride. “She was
unbeatable. They just couldn’t touch her. It was a privilege to be able to ride her,” said Kip. Corona Chick won 15 of 18 career races, totaling $591,326 in earnings ($1,153,010 in today’s dollars). Kip also told me about his retirement and how he overcame some health concerns to get back in the saddle. Overcoming his health concerns was only the start because after his return to riding, it was much harder to get mounts. Joe Badilla had emerged as stiff competition and Joe was getting most of the mounts. Regardless of the struggles Kip had when he returned, he refused to quit. “If I could go back, I wouldn’t do anything different. Getting ousted for the year made me ride harder and pay attention better. All negative things in horse racing or in life happen for a reason,” said Kip. More people could use that mindset today. Typically, we pattern our lives after those we surround ourselves with. Kip’s three most influential people throughout his career were Danny Cardoza, Blane Schvaneveldt, and Bob Baffert. Kip told me that Danny was both a great rider and friend to him during his career and after. Towards the end of our conversation, Kip shared one of his favorite memories. He qualified
Ed Grimley, but Bob Baffert didn’t give him
the mount back for the finals of the QHBC Juvenile Classic. “I ended up riding Bill’s Ryon in that race and he killed them. It was cool to outrun other stablemates because I didn’t get the mount on Ed Grimley even though I rode him when he qualified.” Sounds like Kip enjoys a little payback, as most athletes understandably appreciate.
TAMI PURCELL
Tami was very nice, and it was a pleasure to talk to her and learn about her career. The two obvious horses she mentioned were 4-time Champion Corona Cash, 1997 wire-to-wire All American Futurity winner, and World
Champion Dashing Folly, 1996 wire-to-wire Champion of Champions winner. Both were very special horses. Tami said that she was able
to retire on her own terms. She last rode in December of 2014 and she is very satisfied with how her career went. The most helpful and influential people throughout her career were Donna and James McArthur. Tami said her favorite year to ride was 1996-1997. She won the All American that year and won a lot of stakes races with Dashing Folly and Corona Cash. A favorite story she shared was about a mount she got. “We were in the entry office and there was
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