GSRelyea
01-18-2006, 09:10 AM
I know most of you don't care about horse racing, but this guy is a legend, esp. up in my neck of the woods. He made me a good amount of $$ over the years.
Spa's all-time leading rider to announce his retirement
By TIM WILKIN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, the all-time leader in riding wins at Saratoga Race Course, will announce his retirement from thoroughbred racing today.
"It's official," said Ron Anderson, Bailey's agent. "He will announce it tomorrow (Wednesday)."
The announcement will come when Bailey takes part in a noon teleconference call put on by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Anderson said Bailey's final day in the saddle will be Jan. 28 at Florida's Gulfstream Park, the track's Sunshine Millions Day of Racing.
Last week, Bailey told the Times Union he was going to make a final decision on his career in the next couple of weeks. He has two wins in 19 starts during the current Gulfstream Park meet.
He has said he wants to spend more time with his wife, Suzee, and son, Justin, 13. They have homes in Florida and Saratoga Springs.
He becomes the third Hall of Fame rider to retire in the past six months, following Pat Day and Gary Stevens.
48, always maintained he would not be riding when he turned 50. His 49th birthday comes in August.
said last week that he wanted to find out if he still had the desire to compete at the highest level, something he has done for the most part of his 31 years as a jockey.
"It's not much fun chasing all these other guys around the track," Bailey said last week.
Elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, Bailey has won 5,890 career races. He did his best work in the big races. His win on Saint Liam in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic gave him 15 career wins on racing's biggest day, the most for any jockey.
won the Classic five times, tying him with Chris McCarron for the most wins in America's richest race. Bailey's other Classic wins came aboard Black Tie Affair (1991), Arcangues (1993), Concern (1994) and Cigar (1995).
He won each Triple Crown race twice: the Kentucky Derby with Sea Hero (1993) and Grindstone (1996), the Preakness with Hansel (1991) and Red Bullet (2000) and the Belmont with Hansel (1991) and Empire Maker (2003).
Maker spoiled Saratoga favorite Funny Cide's bid for the Triple Crown in 2003. Bailey rode Funny Cide in last year's Suburban Handicap, finishing off the board.
"Jerry Bailey is one of the great riders of our time," said Jack Knowlton, the managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, which owns Funny Cide. "He always had a lot of good horses to ride and he always tried to put horses in the best position to win. He has always been a tremendous spokesman for the game, very well spoken. And, at Saratoga, he was a champion rider at a championship meet."
At Saratoga, he was a seven-time riding champion and became the all-time leading jockey at the Spa on Aug. 6, 2004, when he won his 641st career Saratoga race, passing Angel Cordero Jr.
He found the winner's circle at the Travers three times when he rode Wise Times (1986), Sea Hero (1993) and Medaglia d'Oro (2002).
Bailey was honored with the Eclipse Award as the nation's leading jockey seven times, including four straight from 2000-03.
He has said in the past he wants to stay involved in racing and could find himself doing work as a television analyst.
Tim Wilkin can be reached at 454-5415 or by e-mail at twilkin@timesunion.com.
Spa's all-time leading rider to announce his retirement
By TIM WILKIN, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, the all-time leader in riding wins at Saratoga Race Course, will announce his retirement from thoroughbred racing today.
"It's official," said Ron Anderson, Bailey's agent. "He will announce it tomorrow (Wednesday)."
The announcement will come when Bailey takes part in a noon teleconference call put on by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Anderson said Bailey's final day in the saddle will be Jan. 28 at Florida's Gulfstream Park, the track's Sunshine Millions Day of Racing.
Last week, Bailey told the Times Union he was going to make a final decision on his career in the next couple of weeks. He has two wins in 19 starts during the current Gulfstream Park meet.
He has said he wants to spend more time with his wife, Suzee, and son, Justin, 13. They have homes in Florida and Saratoga Springs.
He becomes the third Hall of Fame rider to retire in the past six months, following Pat Day and Gary Stevens.
48, always maintained he would not be riding when he turned 50. His 49th birthday comes in August.
said last week that he wanted to find out if he still had the desire to compete at the highest level, something he has done for the most part of his 31 years as a jockey.
"It's not much fun chasing all these other guys around the track," Bailey said last week.
Elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, Bailey has won 5,890 career races. He did his best work in the big races. His win on Saint Liam in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic gave him 15 career wins on racing's biggest day, the most for any jockey.
won the Classic five times, tying him with Chris McCarron for the most wins in America's richest race. Bailey's other Classic wins came aboard Black Tie Affair (1991), Arcangues (1993), Concern (1994) and Cigar (1995).
He won each Triple Crown race twice: the Kentucky Derby with Sea Hero (1993) and Grindstone (1996), the Preakness with Hansel (1991) and Red Bullet (2000) and the Belmont with Hansel (1991) and Empire Maker (2003).
Maker spoiled Saratoga favorite Funny Cide's bid for the Triple Crown in 2003. Bailey rode Funny Cide in last year's Suburban Handicap, finishing off the board.
"Jerry Bailey is one of the great riders of our time," said Jack Knowlton, the managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, which owns Funny Cide. "He always had a lot of good horses to ride and he always tried to put horses in the best position to win. He has always been a tremendous spokesman for the game, very well spoken. And, at Saratoga, he was a champion rider at a championship meet."
At Saratoga, he was a seven-time riding champion and became the all-time leading jockey at the Spa on Aug. 6, 2004, when he won his 641st career Saratoga race, passing Angel Cordero Jr.
He found the winner's circle at the Travers three times when he rode Wise Times (1986), Sea Hero (1993) and Medaglia d'Oro (2002).
Bailey was honored with the Eclipse Award as the nation's leading jockey seven times, including four straight from 2000-03.
He has said in the past he wants to stay involved in racing and could find himself doing work as a television analyst.
Tim Wilkin can be reached at 454-5415 or by e-mail at twilkin@timesunion.com.