GALLOPERS PUNTING ARTICLES

Jockeys Egocentrics or Extra Ordinaries?

Punters lovem or hatem.

Only takes one good priced winner, punters lovem for life.

Only takes one misjudged ride, punters bar them for life.

Lovem or hatem, jockeys are the most integral part of punting, and the lifeblood of the horse racing industry. Without them, there would be no industry, no one to ride track work to get the horses fit. And of course there would be no one to steer the horse on the all important race day when punters are outlaying their hard earned cash.

These individuals are freaks of nature, keeping their body weight down below the minimum riding weight, sometimes as low as 47kg. Regularly keeping their weight in check at around the 53kg mark. Think about how difficult that would be for the normal human.

And not only do they all struggle with weight issues they still have to keep their mind focussed on the job of giving every horse every possible chance in every race in which they ride.

Now we've all done it, yes we have. Screamed at the top of our voices in angst when we backed a good thing beaten blaming the jockey. He missed the kick, he couldn't get it clear in time, he pulled it up!

And we've all watched the big Group 1 races to see the prima donnas stand in the irons to salute the crowd as they cross the finishing line. Some notable bloopers when the hoop thought he'd won the Group 1, alas coming back to scale with a dozen eggs on his face because he narrowly ran second.

Yes, plenty to both love and hate about these little blokes.

However, are punters feelings towards these pigskin pilots justified? Can punters criticism of a bad ride be vindicated? Are these prima donna antics appropriate? Or are punters simply backing the wrong horses? Complaining about a celebration after years of hard toiling?

Let's place a few facts on the table to sift through the mire of the jockey issue.

The majority of jockeys cannot ride in races because they are simply too heavy and cannot keep wasting to keep their weight down because it affects their health. Therefore, of the 1% of people in this world who can actually live actively with a body weight of less then 55kg, most are not even interested in horses, let alone willing to jump on 7 or 8  500kg equines at track work every morning, then another 5 or 6 at the races that afternoon. And it's not a simple matter of just jumping on the back of a horse. Some of these equines are absolute lunatics, uncontrollable in fact. These tiny jockeys are expected to not only keep these equines in check, but also ride them to instructions, give the horse every possible chance to obtain the best position, then restrain them after the race with the horse running at full speed to get them back into the control of the horses handlers sitting safely in the race course enclosure. These jockeys are expected to thread needle eye openings to obtain clear running for their horse, expected to race in close contact with up to 20 other horses in the race, all the while keeping their wits about them so to avoid a catastrophic accident that may occur in front of them at any second in a race.

Bloody tough ask. Especially considering most of these little blokes left school at 14 or 15 and do not have the education most of us enjoyed.

The simple fact of the matter is, there are good jockeys, and there are not so good jockeys. The gulf between the good, and not so good can be astronomical at times, an issue on which  the punter needs to make daily decisions. There is a simple reason we see the same jockeys riding at Flemington, or Royal Randwick, or Eagle Farm every Saturday. These little blokes make less mistakes than the jockeys riding at the Non TAB meetings.

Most jockeys have a limited time in the saddle. This time must be limited if the jockey is wasting every day to keep his weight down so he is able to ride at a race meeting to earn some dollars on which to survive. A jockey cannot waste for years on end, it is permanently detrimental to their health. The old saying "a lettuce leaf and a glass of water for dinner" is a fact in the life of some jockeys. So next time punters abuse them for a misjudged ride, just bite your tongue for a couple of seconds before you do. Think about what they have to go through every day, up at 3am to ride work, then off to the races 3-4 days a week in the afternoon. Not to mention continuous media commitments for the leading riders. Sure, the top jockeys do get well paid and if the hoop rides Group 1 winners, there are massive rewards. However, it has to be remembered, their time in the pigskin is limited, as is the time they can continually waste to keep their weight down. And it is only the top 10% of jockeys who do really well out of the game, most ride track work only for $10 a ride to try to make ends meet.

The top 10% of jockeys do have a luxurious life style, no question about that. These top jockeys can earn millions of dollars in a year, and carry the hopes and hard earned of every punter in Australia. So are punters justified in giving these top jockeys a serve when they ride a misjudged race?

What we can say, is that if a jockey continually makes mistakes, then trainers will stop putting them on pretty swiftly. Trainers need good jockeys not only to ride work for them, but also to ride well judged races on race day. We can assure you, trainers will not put up with mediocre rides for very long, they need winners to survive as well and therefore require their horses to be given every possible winning chance every time they run around a race track. For whatever reason, jockeys will quickly disappear from the riding ranks if they continually ride poorly judged races exiled to country meetings or even non TAB meetings.

And what about the other 90% of jockeys who struggle to make a living even though they risk their lives every time they mount a horse. Those bush jockeys too heavy to ride in races that ride 8-10 at track work every morning, real unsung heroes of the industry. They then rush off to their proper jobs to make ends meet. Some punters may think we exaggerate by saying these little guys & girls risk their lives every time they get on board a thoroughbred, however we can assure everyone from personal experience this is a fact, not hearsay. Ask yourself if you would be comfortable riding an equine at 50-60kph in amongst a field of 15 other horses, then trying to give that horse every possible winning chance. Think about that next time you bellow at the little bloke for not taking a narrow gap in the straight causing the horse you backed to miss a place.

Now, we admit to being critical, in fact very critical of some jockeys in the past. The solution is quite simple. If you don't like a ride of a jockey, don't back his mounts again. You will soon see if your judgement is correct or not. If the jockey is no good, then he will be banished to bush tracks because top trainers simply won't put them on again. However, if the jockey made one small error in judgement, then he will continue to ride at Flemington & Randwick because the trainers will continue to put them on after forgiving one simple mistake.

As we always state, keep an updated list of all jockeys that you find acceptable to back, and a list of all those jockeys you find unacceptable to outlay your hard earned on. If you find a jockey not on the backable list that is riding plenty of winners in town for top trainers, then add him to your list. If you have a jockey who is on your list, but is riding at Moree, Port Augusta, Broken Hill or other bush tracks, then it is probably time to remove that jockey from your list of acceptable hoops. Trainers are not fools, especially the leading trainers. They will tell you who the good jockeys are by engaging them. However, when punters look at country meetings, the likelihood is most jockeys are riding for trainers through loyalty, or the fact there is no one else to fill the void. Make no mistake, if a jockey has ability and the desire, then they will be riding at city meetings on a regular basis. If the jockey does not have above average ability, the they will be banished to country and non TAB meetings swiftly by trainers.

Now, what about the antics of leading riders after a major Group 1 victory. Are these antics justified? We all see them rise in the saddle, raise their whip into the air and salute the crowd in a celebratory saddle dance. Next time you criticise one of these little blokes for doing this, think about the long haul it has taken for him to get here. The years of early morning track work arising at 3am, the weight issues, wasting & not eating properly, the media pressure, criticism from owners & journalists who never touched a horse let alone thrown a leg over their backs. Not to mention the tumbles they have all had from a horse, most lucky not to obtain any permanent injury or disability.

So, next time you think the hoop has slaughtered one you backed, simply write down his name, don't back anything he rides again for 2 months. If in two months he is still getting rides for the leading trainers on a  Saturday in town, & riding winners, then place him back on you list of acceptable jockeys. However, if in two months the jockey is riding at Narromine on a Monday afternoon, then pat yourself on the back, you made a good decision in removing that hoop from your list of acceptable riders to back.

There are good and not so good jockeys, just as there are good and not so good apples, just as there are good and not so good <insert your profession here>. You as a punter must make daily decisions about whether a jockey is acceptable to put your cash on or not. Don't blame the jockey, it is your decision.

Then be a bit forgiving if the little bloke does make a small mistake.

And don't forget to shout your praises to the world when the hoop rides a pearler and gets your 20/1 shot home in the last.

These little blokes are extraordinary athletes who do things not too many of the rest of us could dream of doing, let alone actually achieve success in. A jockey's life is not much fun, however there are massive rewards for those that make it to the top. And they deserve every congratulatory cheer from punters when they reach the pinnacle, a Group 1 victory.

Egocentric or extraordinary, you be the judge. However don't blame jockeys if you lose your cash, as the most likely reason you lost was because you backed the wrong horse.

Good luck and profitable punting to all . . . . .