Most North American racetracks don't conduct racing year-round. What is more common would be a circuit involving multiple tracks within a certain area like we have here in Louisiana. As the meet is coming to a close at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, those in the industry are preparing to head south to either New Orleans or Delta Downs on the Louisiana-Texas Coast. This is our life. We move twice a year.
In horseracing, a jockey is only as good as his last ride. This seems to be a prevailing mentality. Don Simington, who will most likely win the riding title at Louisiana Downs this year, will now travel to another track and basically start all over. Don't get me wrong. A top five rider is going to get his share of the gravy no matter where he goes, but with every new meet comes the opportunity for a lower tier jock to become an overnight sensation.
This is one of the most crucial things for a jockey agent to understand: to give your client the greatest chance for success you must make every effort to get off to a strong start. To use horseracing lingo, you need to break sharp.
The mounts your jockey rides on opening weekend can influence the rest of the meet. It's a fact. Time and again I have witnessed a jockey "get hot" at the beginning of the meet and this creates a great situation. Because the rider is getting attention from the trainers, his agent's phone will begin to ring with ever-increasing frequency. No one wants to miss the boat. Suddenly, this rider has the opportunity to ride better horses and the appearance is that his riding has greatly improved.
So, how do you give your rider the best chance to "get hot"? It begins with preparation. You need to be on the track with your rider at least two weeks before the new meet opens. This may mean leaving the current meet a few days early as David Elston and I did last year. We bypassed the closing weekend at Louisiana Downs and went straight to Delta. It paid off. We were able to crack some barns that were previously off-limits.
In the weeks before a meet begins to conduct live racing, trainers are allowed to move their horses into their new stalls and prepare. Horses need to be breezed (The term simply means to run easily, under a hold, but with little encouragement. This is usually an easy morning workout for racers. It can judge a horse's character at a moment in time, and his professional readiness.) Jockeys are needed to breeze those horses. When David and I arrived at Delta last year, the place was almost totally devoid of jockeys and agents. There were times when a trainer needed a horse worked and Dave was the only jockey available. I did my job and found a race for the horse and David got to ride.
Working hard early in the meet will also give you a chance to spot live horses before any of your competitors. Begin the day at 5:30 a.m. Watch the horses as they go out to train. Get on the rail and talk up the trainers.
If you get lucky and spot the right horse and your jockey is the only one available, you could be in for one hell of a ride that will last the entire meet.
Scotty Rushing is a Certified Jockey Agent who has represented numerous riders including David Elston, Rico Flores, Amanda Crandall, and Beverly Burress. He currently represents Nick Vandevoorde.
