JOCKEY SMITH BRINGS HOME THE WINNINGS.Byline: Art Wilson Arthur Earl "Dutch" Wilson (December 11, 1885 in Macon, Illinois; died June 12, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. Art Wilson was the catcher for Cubs pitcher Hippo Vaughn during the "double no-hitter" game in 1917. Staff Writer Those two winners that Mike Smith rode in last weekend's Turf Festival at Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
"Yeah, it was great," he said. "Especially since I bought a new house and I need to pay for it." Smith's new home is in Sierra Madre Sierra Madre, city, United States Sierra Madre (sēĕr`ə mä`drā), residential city (1990 pop. 10,762), Los Angeles co., S Calif., at the foot of Mt. Wilson; inc. 1907. There is some light manufacturing. , and he knows he'd be wise to win a few more stakes now that he's entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. in such an affluent area. Winning races such as the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. , $350,000 Swaps Stakes The Swaps Stakes is a race for Thoroughbred horses run at Hollywood Park Racetrack each year. The race is open to horses, age three. willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. A Grade II event, it carries a purse of $400,000. and $500,000 Goodwood Handicap
The Goodwood Handicap is a Group 1 Australian thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1200 metres at Morphettville aboard Tiago will help pay many of the bills. Winning efforts in two of the six Turf Festival races -- the $113,200 Miesque Stakes aboard Sea Chanter chanter: see bagpipe. and the $500,000 Hollywood Derby The Hollywood Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses on the turf run each year in December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. with Daytona -- will ensure that Smith eats well the next few weeks and can afford to pay his gardener. But Smith also knows in order to make it in such a deep jockey colony, he must continue to win those types of races to find more business. Heading into the week, he had ridden only 28 horses but had won with seven at Hollywood Park's autumn meet -- an impressive 25percent clip. On Wednesday, he did not ride until the final two races on the eight-race card, and had only one mount Thursday. "He's very similar to Alex Solis Alex O. Solis (born March 25, 1964 in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey based in the United States. He currently lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California. He first gained national prominence when he won the 1986 Preakness Stakes with Snow Chief. , Eddie Delahoussaye Edward J. Delahoussaye (born September 21 1951) was an American thoroughbred jockey from New Iberia, Louisiana. He began his career in 1968 and in ten short years became the top American jockey with 384 wins. and Chris McCarron and a lot of other guys into their careers at this point where they pick and choose their mounts a little more wisely and people jump on the bandwagons of some of the up-and-coming young jocks," said trainer Dan Hendricks, who put Smith on Daytona for the first time in the Oak Tree Derby The Oak Tree Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park during the Oak Tree Racing Association meet each year. The Grade IIT event is open to three-year-old horses willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf and offers a purse of $150,000. in October after the gelding's regular rider, Solis, had committed to another horse. Smith guided Daytona to a 41/4-length victory in the Oak Tree Derby and went gate to wire on the Irish-bred son of Indian Ridge in the Hollywood Derby, getting away with moderate fractions in the 11/4-mile event and having enough left to hold off Medici Medici, Italian family Medici (mĕ`dĭchē, Ital. mā`dēchē), Italian family that directed the destinies of Florence from the 15th cent. until 1737. Code in the stretch. Rides like that will help Smith gain more mounts. He says he's not necessarily looking to pick and choose, it has just worked out that way. "If people want to put me on more, that's fine with me," Smith said. "I'd rather ride quality over quantity any time, but I'm here to ride. So far, it's worked out really well, but I wouldn't mind riding a few more." Heading into Thursday, Smith was 32nd nationally in earnings with $5.8 million, but 22 of the riders above him had at least twice as many mounts in 2007 as Smith's 477. Tiago, a 3-year-old colt owned by Jerry Moss and trained by John Shirreffs, has been Smith's meal ticket this year. The half-brother of 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo is scheduled to race in 2008, giving Smith more of the quality he's seeking since he returned to the Southland from a two-year hiatus in 2005-06. "Business was a little bit slow for me," Smith said of the move east in 2005. "At the time I was fortunate to be riding Giacomo, which we went on to win the Derby and had a great, great career with, and then I just decided to hang out there for a while. "I stayed there one winter and realized, 'Man, what am I doing?' (Then) I had the opportunity to come back and ride Tiago for the Mosses again, we talked about me coming back out and I was delighted for them to talk to me about that and to give me the opportunity to ride for them. Then the next day, I wind up winning the Santa Anita Derby, so things just worked out." Things also worked out with Daytona. Hendricks has not used Smith a great deal in the past, but the two have now established a winning formula together and it figures to mean more quality business for Smith. "Winning opens up doors," Smith said. "And then when you win a race of that magnitude (Hollywood Derby), a lot of people seem to watch it. So yes, it does help." Said Hendricks: "I never don't look for Mike to ride. It's just that he hadn't been one of my main riders for one reason or another. Of course, maybe now something comes open and his name will be on top of the list quicker. "You have such a huge jockey colony around here. You usually use your one, two and three riders and then one comes up where you can't and you have the ability to jump on someone like Mike and you can't go wrong. That's how the jockey colony is again, like it was in the '90s, '80s. We just had a few years there where it was in transition, but now it's back stronger than ever." And Smith, who has ridden such standout horses as Holy Bull, Azeri, Skip Away, Lure and Cherokee Run during a 25-year career, during which he is among the top 15 riders all-time in earnings with about $181million, is a big part of that group. He's won a Derby, he's captured Breeders' Cup races and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. Ask him if he's got any goals left, and he doesn't hesitate. "A Triple Crown," Smith said. "If you're gonna let me dream, I might as well dream big, right?" art.wilson@sgvn.com CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE - Art Wilson |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion