QUICK AS A WHIP ECLIPSE AWARD-WINNING JOCKEY CHAVEZ TAKES BOLD STYLE TO CHURCHILL DOWNS.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The mileposts fall one by one along Jorge Chavez's road to glory, chopped down by the mightiest whip in all of thoroughbred racing. A breakthrough track title, at Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans January through March, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America. in the winter of 1999. Then a big-name horse to ride, Behrens. Then a Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982 by a consortium of North American racing organizations, led by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. victory - in fact, two in a day last fall, with Artax in the Sprint and Beautiful Pleasure in the Distaff. ``I got the credit,'' Chavez said, meaning acclaim. ``Then I got the horses.'' And then he got the ultimate recognition, an Eclipse Award honoring the Peruvian as North America's outstanding jockey of 1999. This sounds like just another young jockey's ride to the top. Except that Chavez, who will be aboard Trippi in Saturday's 126th Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. , is not so young. It took him more than a decade of riding in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to become an overnight success. ``If he'd been riding the horses he rode last year, it would have happened sooner,'' said Mike Smith, a two-time Eclipse winner who competes against Chavez, primarily in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Florida. ``It's just something we all have to wait our turns for.'' Chavez, though, had to wait longer than most. At 38, he was the oldest first-time Eclipse winner. What took so long? For the answer, refer back to that mighty whip. Chavez, who is 4-foot-10, small even for a jockey, is known as the most ferocious whipper in the sport. Wielding his stick in the unorthodox ``down'' position - holding it as one would an ice pick instead of a baton - he seems to fire off more blows more quickly than anybody else. That approach, which earned Chavez the nickname ``Chop Chop chop chop Adverb Pidgin English quickly ,'' is only one element of an aggressive riding style that cost him 85 days of suspensions within a year of his 1988 arrival in Florida. Bettors love it - Chavez never loses a race for lack of effort - but the well-heeled owners of top-class thoroughbreds traditionally prefer more graceful riders. It wasn't until Chavez walked away from the easy money at New York's Aqueduct racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack, known as the Big A, is a horse racetrack in the neighborhood of Ozone Park in the New York City borough of Queens. History The racetrack opened in 1894 and was rebuilt in 1959, with additional renovations made in 2001 and 2006. in the winter of 1999 and began beating the fancier jockeys at the first-class Gulfstream Park meet that he was considered suitable company for stakes horses. ``He might look a little different out there, but whatever he does, it works for him,'' Smith said. ``He's very dangerous on the front end. He's very aggressive and strong, but yet he can sit pretty patient when he needs to. ``(Horses will) overachieve o·ver·a·chieve intr.v. o·ver·a·chieved, o·ver·a·chiev·ing, o·ver·a·chieves To perform better or achieve more success than expected. o for him a lot of times, especially the first time he gets on them. He'll change their form a lot of times.'' Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
 The California Gold Rush 1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. races. One of his mounts was a 3-year-old colt who got no closer than fifth in his only previous start. Chavez gunned him to the lead out of the gate, and the 6-1 shot got brave, going on to win by one-half length. In the Hollywood Park jockeys' room, Chavez said he doesn't mind being known as Chop Chop, and doesn't care if you pronounce his first name Horhay, Horgay or George. But he dislikes the implication that he's a one-dimensional ``speed'' rider or that his whip hurts horses. ``Most of the time I'm just showing them the whip or just brushing them,'' he said from beneath dark bangs. Chavez hasn't broken his old image completely. He is not yet a go-to rider for Kentucky Derby trainers. Trippi will be only his third Derby mount, following Ulises (14th in 1994) and Adonis (17th in 1999). And this is not a horse fit for the reigning king of U.S. jockeys. The colt named for the great Georgia halfback half·back n. Abbr. HB 1. Football a. One of the players positioned near the flanks behind the line of scrimmage. b. The position held by this player. 2. Sports a. Charlie Trippi has taken an end run to the Derby, debuting late and skipping the major prep races to remain undefeated in four starts by winning the 1 1/8-mile Flamingo Stakes at Gulfstream. But Chavez, who hasn't complained about much in his career, isn't going to start now. ``You say Trippi isn't one of the top horses,'' he said. ``But if you take out the favorite (Fusaichi Pegasus), everybody else is the same. He (Trippi) shows a lot of speed. We'll see if he can go a mile and a quarter.'' It's another chance for Chavez to change people's minds. --Notes: A day after Kentucky Derby favorite Fusaichi Pegasus turned in an impressive-looking 6-furlong workout, his barnmate War Chant more than matched it Monday with a 1:13 4/5 clocking and a reported :22 2/5 final quarter-mile. Trainer Neil Drysdale said he was ``delighted'' and said he's ``equally pleased'' with the two colts. . . . Retired jockey Gary Stevens, an assistant trainer, rode Anees in a 5-furlong workout (1:00 2/5) and said the 2-year-old champion felt more aggressive. Stevens and trainer Alex Hassinger have been trying different kinds of blinkers blinkers 1. rigid pieces of leather fitted to a head harness at a point where they will obstruct the horse's lateral vision. 2. a more sophisticated piece of harness worn by expensive horses consisting of a canvas head-covering with holes for the ears to protrude and two on Anees. . . . Also among 22 horses aiming for the 20-horse Derby: Aptitude, Captain Steve, China Visit, Commendable, Curule cu·rule adj. Privileged to sit in a curule chair; of superior rank. [Latin cur , Deputy Warlock, Exchange Rate, Globalize glob·al·ize tr.v. glob·al·ized, glob·al·iz·ing, glob·al·iz·es To make global or worldwide in scope or application. glob , Graeme Hall, Hal's Hope, Harlan Traveler, HighYield, Impeachment impeachment, formal accusation issued by a legislature against a public official charged with crime or other serious misconduct. In a looser sense the term is sometimes applied also to the trial by the legislature that may follow. , More Than Ready, Snuck snuck v. Usage Problem A past tense and a past participle of sneak. See Usage Note at sneak. In, The Deputy and Wheelaway. . . . Racing Hall of Fame voting results will be announced today at Churchill Downs. Drysdale is expected to beat out Richard Mandella and Willard Proctor in the trainers category. THE 126TH KENTUCKY DERBY What: Kentucky Derby Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. TV: Channel 7 THE JORGE CHAVEZ FILE -- Born Nov. 25, 1961 in Callao, Peru. -- 4-foot-10, 108 pounds. -- Rode first winner (Marst) in Peru on July 15, 1982, and moved to the United States in 1988. -- Earned his first Eclipse Award in 1999 as North America's outstanding jockey after winning Breeders' Cup races with Artax and Beautiful Pleasure and several major handicaps with Behrens. -- Rides mostly in the East and is reigning champion at Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park. -- Will ride Trippi in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: (color) Peruvian jockey Jorge Chavez is shaking racing's establishment with an aggressive riding philosophy. Mattthew Stockman/Allsport USA Box: (1) THE 126TH KENTUCKY DERBY (see text) (2) THE JORGE CHAVEZ FILE (see text) |
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