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CHART TOPPER
Cody Smith becomes APHA’s Leading Earning Jockey
by Shari Burger
Reigning APHA Champion Jockey Cody Rodger Smith has passed legendary G.R. Carter in lifetime earnings to become the all-time leading
earner with $3,682,958. Carter previously held the record with total earnings of $3,647,427. Smith has earned the leading Paint jockey title six times and Carter eight times. Smith has ridden such standouts as World Champions Painted Turnpike, CRM Livewire, Live Moonshine, Southern Electric; Champions Awesome Fling, Bully Pulpit, I Kick; and DTL Chasin Tale, to name a few.
“I grew up watching G.R., the way he handled his business, his career and what he sacrificed. He didn’t cut any corners, he went over and beyond. His work ethic and what he done, he never slowed down. He was always riding somewhere and worked hard in the mornings. To surpass him in anything is saying something; I never really thought it would happen. But when it did, it was a heck of an achievement,” Smith said.
From Vian, Oklahoma, Smith has been riding professionally for 15 years since the age of 20. He grew up near Sallisaw, home of the historic Blue Ribbon Downs racetrack. Like father like son, Smith dreamed of following in his dad’s footsteps of becoming a jockey from a very young age.
“I grew up in a jocks room following my dad from track to track. It’s basically all I wanted to be. Everywhere I went as a kid, I had a helmet and a whip. Most little kids wanted to be football and baseball players, I just wanted to be a jockey. There was nothing safe when I was a kid. I would put a saddle on the propane tank, ride the back of the couch, and we had Shetlands. I never rode in a stock saddle. I was always in either a jocks saddle or exercise saddle,” he said.
Smith stands 5’10” tall, but hasn’t let his height stop him from galloping horses. “Dad taught
me everything about being a jockey but when I started gating horses, he was totally against it. The majority of accidents that happen are gate related. He just wanted me to keep galloping but stay out of the gates. And really, my dad thought I would be too big to be a jockey as tall as I am,” he said.
Smith’s dad is well known jockey Rodger Smith, who rode professionally over 30 years with total lifetime earnings of $7.6 million for all breeds ($1.3 million in APHA earnings).
“One of the things my dad instilled in me the most was watching his work ethic. It was almost to a fault in him that he worked so
hard. He worked for everything he had. In the mornings, galloping and working hard is where you’re going to earn it. Seeing everything my dad went through, up until he broke his back at Remington, he never showed signs of fear doing it. Never let it bother him. He’s tough or crazy - one, maybe both,” he laughed.
Smith also looked up to other mentors like G.R. Carter, Jacky Martin, Larry Payne and Roy Brooks.
“I watched them, my dad and tried to mimic them. I grew up hearing their cracks in the jocks room, what other people were doing wrong. I knew right from wrong when I started riding, everything I heard them gripe about I tried not do,” he said.
When it comes to the right combination for success, team Smith and Whitekiller have dominated in Paint racing. Smith is well known for being the first call rider for multiple APHA Champion Trainer Matt Whitekiller for over 13 years.
“Cody has been like family as long as I can remember. He and my oldest son are very close,
so I got to watch them grow up. A lot of people don’t know, but Cody was a good athlete and I think that is one reason he has made such a good rider. We hooked up several years back and it has just worked. I would hear all the time he was too tall to be a jockey. I never thought so because he could fold up and look better than the shorter ones riding. He’s a big asset with breaking our babies and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone on young colts. He’s a very hard worker and has never forgotten where he came from,” Whitekiller said.
Smith’s success with Whitekiller has been about understanding each other, trusting each other’s opinions, repetition and consistency. “We can talk to each other, work good together, and
it makes a huge difference as far as getting things done. Matt doesn’t second-guess my opinions. He lets me do my own thing when breaking babies and trusts it will be done right. If I think we need to change something, Matt will say, ‘Let’s try it, let’s change it.’ He doesn’t try to fix or change things that aren’t broken. Like with Painted Turnpike, he was handled the same way every time, nothing ever changed,” Smith said.
World Champion Painted Turnpike was a blessing in disguise for Smith. The all-time leading Paint earner of $465,442 is by far his favorite Paint he’s ridden.
“His reputation speaks for itself. When you win as many races as he did, you don’t hear about that stuff anymore. I couldn’t tell you the last time I heard a Quarter Horse or Paint who won 26 races and especially as many of them being stakes. He was an amazing horse and blessed everything in his path. I probably rode two horses in my career that didn’t have a
176 SPEEDHORSE August 2020