Quick Jockey's Reminder

Sure you may be tired of hearing me preview it, but I never tire of plugging a show that spotlights our game. I'm not thrilled with all that Jockey's is, but I can live with it's flaws as it celebrates the game and especially the men and women that lay it out there every day.

Overall I've been pretty happy watching the series unfold. Some things that I would have liked to see more of are emerging as the series progresses. It was good to see some race strategy discussed between jockey and trainer in the last episode. It was also good to see how a jock explains a bad performance by a horse after the race. The elation of the winner's circle - no matter the purse - is always great to see (and feel by the way!).

This week we'll see more of Brandon Meier trying to follow up his first career victory with another win and prove that he can make it in the big time. Maybe we'll see a bit more of the interaction between the son and his jockey father whose approval Brandon so desperately seems to want (though don't we all seek that in some way?). We'll also get a glimpse at the jocks unwinding after race day going out to dinner together after a day at the races. It looks to be a cross between frat brothers in the house kitchen and a union hall assembly. No matter the differences, it's still a brotherhood - you'll notice no Chantal or Kayla at dinner...interesting.

Catch the next episodes of Jockeys airing on Animal Planet on Fridays at 9PM Eastern.

More Jockeys...

Just a reminder that parts 5 & 6 of "Jockeys" airs on Animal Planet this evening at 9 PM ET.

Now I received a clip of the new show, but I could swear it was the same stuff I saw in the last episode. I know we saw Kayla fall and Jon Court's wife talking about the shoes she'll buy if Jon's longshot mount wins it's Cal Cup Day (it doesn't and she doesn't).

In any event, we will doubtlessly learn more about whether or not Kayla can start building her book of business, whether the disconnected son of a jockey can win some races and his father's love and, of course, can Mike and Chantal's love survive.

Yeah, some of it is a little goofy, but it's an interesting look at the Santa Anita jockey colony and, for the uninitiated, a glimpse at what goes on "under the hood" in the Sport of Kings. One more thing for you folks that only are peripherally interested in racing: contrary to what the series shows you, there are not accidents and spills in nearly every race and Trevor Denman (track announcer) does not use the jockey's names every time he calls a race.

Those tidbits aside, it is fast paced and exciting hour of television. I hope you'll click it on and give our sport a shot.

Jockeys 3 & 4

In a few hours we'll be able to catch parts 3 & 4 of "Jockeys" on Animal Planet at 9PM Eastern. There has been quite a bit of feedback from folks across the TBA on whether the series is a hit or a miss. I kind of fall somewhere in between. Rumor has it that ratings-wise, the show has done pretty well for a cable show. In my opinion, tonight is the real key. Did the show hold that audience or was it a one and done? Were too many viewers (like my wife) turned off by the seemingly endless shots of horses going down on the track? Or, were viewers drawn in by the Mike/Chantal love story; by Joe Talamo's desire; by the athletic prowess displayed by 110 pound athletes piloting 1500 pound animals at 35 miles per hour? If they were, were they drawn in enough to tune in another week?

I know hard cores like me will still watch. I love the game, the animals and the human athletes. It's admittedly hard for me to be too critical of anything that gets more folks involved with racing on some level. I hope we see more strategy detailed going forward. I'd like to see a race dissected by owner, trainer and jockey after the fact so folks can see how split second decisions made on the racetrack affect the outcome of the race. As an example, last summer Fizzy Pop ran a game second in a race. He came from around the pack in the stretch at Canterbury and just had too much ground to make up to win. Between races one of our partners spoke to jock Dean Butler about the race and Dean was beating himself up for not staying on the rail because a hole opened up after he angled out. Had he stayed on the rail, Fiz could've won the race...according to Dean. In a way, I'm glad he felt badly because it shows his desire to win. On the other hand, if the hole did not open up we never would have made it up to second. I don't second guess those decisions and I trust Dean to make to the right ones. He may think he didn't in that instance, I will maintain that he did given the possible risks involved - I'll take a second over a fifth any day!

In any event, I don't know if we'll see some of this or not. I do know that tonight we'll get a glimpse at the hardest battle jocks have to fight: the battle with the scale. In our outmoded American model of weights (Europeans race slightly heavier - healthier for the riders, I am sure), jocks need to keep their weight at nearly absurd levels while trying to maintain strength and quickness of reflexes required to win a race and compete safely. In episode four the show will come back to the demands of having a relationship with a fellow rider (the Mike/Chantal story) as well as the burgeoning rivalry between Talamo and Gryder.

I'm looking forward to it. We'll see if the high number of viewers for episodes 1 & 2 are too...

Jockeys - The Series

Full disclosure out of the gate: I was asked if I would be interested in promoting "Jockeys" which is premiering on Animal Planet Friday, February 6 at 9 PM Eastern. I did so without compensation. I also didn't hesitate to say yes.

You may remember a while back I posted about our little corner of heaven (racing) having it's own reality show. Well, little did I know it was already in progress and the fruits of that labor start airing Friday night.

I think it's important for our game to have exposure. In my opinion it's also important that there is some story behind the scenes to help capture some public attention. I agree with the folks that argue that more has to be done on the wagering side in order to help grow handle as handle is what drives purses and keeps our engine running. But there ARE stories here. Interesting stories that can draw you in and hopefully engage you in our sport. Some of the biggest responses we get are the ones involving compelling stories of everyday heroes. Sure, the link highlighted in the previous sentence was aimed at horse people, but the response - for me - was fantastic. We need a well rounded approach to help resurrect racing and I think "Jockeys" is small step toward that end.

In summary, "Jockeys" will be covering seven jockeys in the Southern California riding colony: Mike Smith, Joe Talamo, Chantal Sutherland, Alex Solis, Aaron Gryder, Kayla Stra and Jon Court; during the 30-day 2008 Oak Tree at Santa Anita Meet.

From the Animal Planet press release:

"Cameras take viewers on and off the track – from their homes to the jock’s room where we see how these athletes physically and emotionally prepare for each race. At the starting gate, the anxious energy of the horse and jockey must be contained within their stall. With jockeys and horses fatally injured each year, the ambulance engines are on and ready for action at a moment’s notice. In the stands, revelers wait with baited breath to see which horse-and-rider team takes the lead…and if everyone finishes safely.

The drama for these jockeys doesn’t end when the race is finished. Off the track, gorgeous jockey Chantal Sutherland makes the emotional decision to leave her family in Canada for California to be closer to her boyfriend fellow jockey Mike Smith and ride at Santa Anita racetrack. Joe Talamo’s high school girlfriend ponders whether or not she can be in a relationship where each phone call could mean Joe has had a bone-breaking – or worse -- deadly fall. Family man Aaron Gryder worries that his children will grow up afraid that their daddy can be hurt at any given moment, but he’s driven by finding the next horse that will take him to “the big time.'"

The home site for the series is http://animal.discovery.com/tv/jockeys/. Click around for a bit. Check out the trailer - it will whet your appetite. If you're new to the game, my guess is that you are going to learn an awful lot and you'll gain a ton of respect for these folks and the dangers they face each and every day going to work (seriously, how many of us go to work with an ambulance following us around). If you're an industry vet, it will confirm all that you know already - these guys and gals may be, pound for pound, the best, strongest and gutsiest professional athletes on the planet. Friday night they'll be on Animal Planet. Be sure to check them out.