Jockey

In sports, a jockey is one who rides horses in thoroughbred horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. Jockeys are nominated by horse trainers to ride their horses in races, usually for a fee (which is paid regardless of the prize money the horse earns for a race).

Related Topics:
Sport - Horse - Thoroughbred horse racing - Steeplechase - Horse trainer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jockeys usually start out when they are young, riding trackwork in the morning for trainers, and entering the riding profession as an apprentice jockey. An apprentice jockey is known as a "bug boy" because the asterisk that follows the name in the program looks like a bug. All jockeys must be licensed and usually are not able to have an interest in a bet on a race. An apprentice jockey has a master, which is a horse trainer, and also is allowed to "claim" weight off the horse's back (if a horse were to carry 58 kg, and the apprentice was able to claim 3 kg, the horse would only have to carry 55 kg on its back). After a while, the jockey becomes a senior jockey and would usually develop relationships with trainers and individual horses.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Famous jockeys include Sir Gordon Richards, Willie Shoemaker, Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Russell Baze, Lester Piggott, Frankie Dettori, Mike Rice and Tony McCoy.

Related Topics:
Sir Gordon Richards - Willie Shoemaker - Eddie Arcaro - Laffit Pincay, Jr. - Russell Baze - Lester Piggott - Frankie Dettori - Mike Rice - Tony McCoy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Various awards are given annually by organizations affiliated with the sport of thoroughbred racing in countries throughout the world. They include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• United States
• George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
• Isaac Murphy Award
• United Kingdom
• BHB Champion Jockey Award
• Qatar

Robot Jockeys Race Camels in Qatar: Technology met tradition, when a camel race in Doha, Qatar for the first time featured robots at the reins. On July 13, 2005, workers fixed robotic jockeys on the backs of seven camels and raced the machine-mounted animals around a track. Operators controlled the jockeys remotely, signaling them to pull their reins and prod the camels with whips. More info, picture>>

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
Jockey: See also ►