Jerry D. Bailey
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Jerry Dale Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. He began his racing career in November 1974. His first mount was on a horse named Pegged Rate, who ran off the board. He notched his first career win the next day on his second career mount, Fetch, at New Mexico's Sunland Park, and has gone on to win 5,892 races. Among his numerous wins, he can boast the New York Handicap Triple in 1984, six victories in American Classic Races races, and a record 15 wins in Breeders' Cup races, including five Breeders' Cup Classics. Three of his Breeders' Cup Classic wins were consecutive (1993-1995). Bailey is perhaps most famous among racing fans as the regular rider of 1990s great Cigar.
In his 2005 book titled Against The Odds, Bailey wrote about his battles with alcoholism that affected a large part of his early career.
When the 2003 Thoroughbred racing Eclipse Awards were handed out on January 26, 2004, Jerry Bailey was proclaimed the outstanding jockey in North America for an unprecedented seventh time (1995–1997 and 2000–2003); in 1997 he had been the first jockey to win three consecutive Eclipse Awards.
In 1992, Bailey was selected for the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, arguably the top lifetime achievement award for North American jockeys. In 1993, he was voted the Mike Venezia Memorial Award for "extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship". He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1995.
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[edit] Advertising controversy
Jerry Bailey was one of the first of five top jockeys to wear advertising patches in the Kentucky Derby, starting in 2004. They sued on First Amendment grounds, to be allowed to wear ad patches during the race. The ruling was issued on April 21, 2004, by U.S. District Judge John Heyburn in Louisville.
The patches, worth approximately $30,000 apiece, were legal in other Triple Crown states of New York and Maryland, but were argued by The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority that they might lead to corruption and violated racing tradition.
"We are very sensitive to the traditions of our sport, and our goal is not to offend anyone," Bailey said in a statement after the ruling.
The other jockeys included Jose Santos, John Velazquez, Gary Stevens, and Shane Sellers.
[edit] 2004 Belmont Stakes controversy
Bailey is also known for his controversial run in the 2004 Belmont Stakes atop Eddington. Smarty Jones, considered a strong favorite that year for the Triple Crown, ended up losing to Birdstone. Later careful study of the video replays gave rise to accusations that Bailey and another jockey had colluded to deny Smarty Jones the victory—that is, they rode not to win, but to defeat someone else. Although not against the rules, this kind of riding is considered highly unethical, and bad for the sport since Triple Crown winners are so rare. One jockey wrote "[Bailey's] ride in the Belmont Stakes, however, on a live contender, was a disgrace to horse racing. Bailey sacrificed himself only to beat Smarty Jones and jockey Stewart Elliott."[1]
In making this edit, many turf writers and fans suggest that the real reason Smarty Jones lost the Belmont Stakes was the incredibly poor ride given to Smarty Jones by his jockey, the aforementioned Stewart Elliot. Not only had Mr. Elliot never ridden at Belmont Park, he refused several mounts offered up by other jockeys so he could acclimate to the Belmont oval.
If Mr. Bailey and the other unmentioned jock hadn't gone up to challenge Smarty Jones, the race would have been an easy cakewalk. The only way for any other horse to win that race was to make absolute sure that Smarty Jones didn't get loose on the lead. Bailey had no choice. It was the only way to give his horse, Eddington, any chance to win.
[edit] Retirement
Jerry Bailey announced his retirement on January 19, 2006, at age 48, with his last race on January 28. His 5,892 wins which placed him 15th on the all-time list, and his mounts have earned more than $295 million, good for second all time. Pat Day leads with nearly $298 million. Bailey currently is involved in racing in a number of capacities, most notably as a commentator for ESPN at major televised races.
| Preceded by Bill Shoemaker |
Jockeys' Guild President 1989-1996 |
Succeeded by Gary L. Stevens |
[edit] References
- Jerry Bailey with Tom Pedulla. Against The Odds: Riding for my life (2005) G.P. Putnam's Sons ISBN 0399152733
- Del Mar Media Guide
[edit] External links
- Jerry Bailey's official website
- Bio at NTRA.com
- Profile at Racing Hall of Fame
- USA Today Derby Jockeys Can Wear Ads
