Page 87 - Speedhorse June 2019

They moved into a new building and he said
he needs a salesman. I sort of thought he was kidding,” Harris recalled. “I went over there and they interviewed me a little bit. A couple of managers said no guy with a wheelchair. One manager was a guy I went to high school with. I knew him because he was married to my ex- wife’s best friend. They ran around together. He and Daryl Hickman said, ‘We’ll give him a try.’ I’ve been there ever since.”
What’s the secret to being a good salesman? For Harris, it’s all about building relationships.
“I have tons of repeat customers who come back, that I’ve sold cars to over the years,” he said. “Daryl saw something in me back then. Some people are nervous at first. A lot of people tell me they admire me for working. They tell me they’d never work if they were hurt like that. That’s helped me in a way. People warm up to me.”
“YOU CAN’T BE SCARED. NEVER.”
Harris has some advice for current jockeys and anyone aspiring to enter the sport.
“I can’t really say nothing about watching what you ride. You can’t be scared. Never,” he said. “I saw jockeys get hurt. I had horses go down on me and I got hurt a little. It wasn’t anything that I couldn’t come back from. I broke my collar bone and it was right before the All American. I broke my ankle. Had a cast on for three weeks. I took it off on the fourth week when I got to walking around on it.”
Even though his competitive days are over, Harris still makes his way to a track from time to time.
“I still have lots of friends who are in it. I’ve been to Ruidoso several times,” he said. “I’ve been partners with people who ran a few. I never really had any runners, but I still keep up with it. It’s changed a lot since I rode.”
Steve was offered a job as a salesman and he’s been there ever since. He said the secret to being a good salesman is about building relationships.
Jockeys gathered in the winner’s circle for the Steve Harris Benefit Race at Blue Ribbon Downs.
Jockeys in the winner’s circle at Ruidoso Downs with We Miss You banners.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Shebester,
R.D. Hubbard, Daline Harris,
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Blue, Mrs. R.D. Hubbard and Steve Harris as he’s presented with a Benefit Check at Ruidoso Downs in 1986.