Page 57 - Speedhorse, December 2018

A VOICE FOR THE RIDERS by Diane Rice
Few people these days can say they’ve been in the same career field for a lifetime, let alone in the same job for 32 years. But
John Beech has served as a regional manager with the Jockeys’ Guild for that span, and before that, was a jockey, trainer and racing official himself.
“He’s a voice for the riders,” says fellow Jockeys’ Guild regional manager (covering the coastal and intermountain western states) Darrell Haire, who has known John for more than 40 years and considers him a dear friend as well as an associate. “He has a passion for this business and for his job. He’s very good at it. The riders know he takes care of them and he’s the go-to guy for riders in his region.”
John’s region presently consists of nine states in the central western U.S.: Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado.
HIS FORMATIVE YEARS
John’s love for horse racing has been ingrained since childhood. Born in 1942 in Miami, Florida, he traveled the Florida and Illinois circuits with his father, John William Beech Sr., a jockey who became a trainer, then a racing official. “Before he passed away, he was a clocker for the Daily Racing Form,” John says.
As a youth, John followed the traditional path of riding at county fair meets and galloping horses. “That was when you could get a license at 16, and I didn’t have my license yet,” he says.
He also rode some jumping horses in steeplechase-type events at fair meets, team roped and even tried his hand at bull riding. “That was short-lived because the people I was riding \[race horses\] for weren’t very happy with me riding bulls,” he adds.
John graduated from Miami Senior High School in Florida, then attended Florida State University intent on completing preveterinary coursework, then going on to vet school.
“Instead, I went back to riding,” he says. “I just decided I wanted to do that instead.”
John started as a jockey in the 1960s. “My first recognized race was at Gulfstream Park in 1965,” he says. His first win was aboard Highland Park at Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois in October of that year.
“He was a really good rider and a really good horseman,” says Darrell, who rode races against John in Kentucky, Illinois, and Louisiana. “He could do anything on horseback. That’s why he’s so good at his job; he knows what these riders go through.”
Highlights of John’s jockey career, which comprised predominantly Thoroughbreds, include wins in:
• Herbager in New York astride Scare Tag
• Spiral Stakes (later the Jim Beam and
now the Jeff Ruby Spiral Stakes for horses “spiraling” up to the Kentucky Derby) at Turfway riding Algorite
• Eastern Whisper Jet Queen Stakes at Florida Downs aboard Greek Ellen in 1973
John Beech embodies dedication in his career, advocating for jockeys nationwide.
John Beech began riding in the 60’s. His first recognized race was at Gulfstream Park in 1965, and his first win came at Hawthorne Race Course in October of that year. John’s last race was in 1986, next becoming a trainer then a racing official, and then a regional manager with the Jockeys’ Guild.
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