Page 82 - November 2020

THE BACKSIDE
CODY RODGER SMITH
A Jockey’s Perspective
by John Moorehouse
HOME BASE: “Home for me is Vian, Oklahoma. As far as riding, Oklahoma is where I’m primarily based.”
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 15 years
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
All-time leading Paint jockey by money earned. Six-time APHA Champion Jockey. Winner of the meet titles at Fair Meadows in 2018, and Will Rogers Downs in 2018 and 2019. Won the 2019 Rainbow Futurity-G1 with 2-time Champion Uncle D. The only rider to ever win the Speedhorse Paint and Appaloosa Triple Crown, with 3-Time APHA World Champion Painted Turnpike.
FAVORITE HOBBY:
“I love hunting. If I could get away with it, that’s all I’d do.””
As you can see from the preceding list, Cody Rodger Smith is no stranger to major accomplishments as a professional jockey. Earlier this year, he recorded what might be his biggest feat yet, when he surpassed GR Carter Jr. to become the all-time top earning Paint jockey.
“Growing up in a jocks’ room and around the sport, I’ve known GR since I was old enough to remember,” said Cody, the son of former jockey Rodger Smith. “To pass him
on anything is a helluva achievement, because he sacrificed everything and cut no corners at being the best at what he did. So, to pass him in half the years it took him to achieve what he did in Paint racing really means a lot to me.”
Smith has won the Paint jockey title
six times and has ridden four Paint World Champions. He’s no stranger to success in the Quarter Horse ranks, either. Smith ranked fourth in the AQHA standings for money earned through the end of October. All-time, through Nov. 2 he holds 1,170 wins in 10,042 starts and has $18.5 million in total money earned. Though he has 15 years experience in the irons, Smith recorded arguably his biggest Quarter Horse win last year, piloting Uncle D to a wire-to-wire victory in the $1,000,000 Rainbow Futurity-G1.
Recently, Cody won the $251,775 AQHA Bank of America Challenge Championship-G1 at The Downs at Albuquerque aboard Danjer.
Smith talks more about his upbringing and his career in the latest installment of our Backside feature.
How did you break into the sport?
“My father was a jockey for 30-plus years. It’s all I ever wanted to be. I followed him around and looked up to him; he was my hero! Most kids grew up dreaming of being baseball or football players, I just always wanted to be a race rider.
Looking back, did anyone serve as a mentor or teacher for you in your early days as a jockey? If so, what lessons did you learn from them? “My dad was my mentor. He always told me to watch him and learn from his mistakes. Growing up in a jocks’ room, I
paid attention to what every little detail of what all of the riders did. There were some I watched because I knew I didn’t want to be like them. Then there were the ones who were successful, and I paid attention to how each one did different things. It’s been a huge advantage.”
You’ve got plenty of experience riding Quarter Horses, Paints,
and Appaloosas. Are there any major differences in racing them, as far as the difference from breed to breed?
“Nah. Heck, a horse is a horse when it comes down to it! You have your good, your bad, you’re crazy, fast and slow in all breeds. I feel like I ride them the same and do my best to get their full potential out of them without getting in their way.”
What’s your routine on a
race day?
“Normally on race days, I get up and go to the track and gallop in the mornings, then I head to the jocks’ room around three hours before my first race, so I can sit in the sauna and lose a little weight. Me being tall [Smith is 5’ 10”], that’s something I’ve dealt with my whole career. But I’m honestly pretty superstitious; I try and do the same thing every day.”
According to Equibase,
combining Quarter Horses, Paints, and Apps, you’ve made more
than 10,000 career starts. What’s
the secret to having that type of longevity in such a
dangerous profession?
“Well, you have to be ready for anything
all the time. There are a lot of things
that can be prevented if you can kind of
see things before they happen, meaning paying attention to the horse you’re on, and knowing where you’re at and seeing what’s happening during a race. I feel like fear gets a lot of people into situations they get hurt in, and this isn’t a sport you can do half- hearted. But mainly I trust God and His plan and timing, and try not to worry much about it!”
80 SPEEDHORSE November 2020
By Coady Photography