How to be a jockey agent

How to be a jockey agent A racetrack is full of difficult-running males and females in the back of the scenes, from the grooms and warm walkers who take care of the horses to the outriders and gate team who positioned their fitness on the road to defend equines and riders.

While the task of a jockey agent is neither risky nor bodily taxing like many different racetrack jobs, the small fraternity of these withinside the career has an ardor for the game no matter the long hours that include the profession choice.

Being a jockey agent isn’t precisely a profession

winner rather than being the person that books the prevailing jockey`s mount. But for the pick few who “hustle ee-e-book,” it is probably the subsequent nice element (and it`s lots safer). The task calls for an agent to be a salesperson, negotiator, tour agent, and greater.

While the pay may be lucrative – sellers typically get 25 percent in their jockey`s income and plenty of constituting more than one rider – each day habitual regularly begins offevolved earlier than the solar comes up and does now no longer give up till after the very last race.

It also can be difficult running in an enterprise wherein even the nice jockeys simplest win approximately one in 5 races, and the incorrect selection of approximately which horse to journey can fee an agent and rider hundreds of dollars.

“My telecellsmartphone earrings 24 hours a day, and my children funny story

t it`s connected to my arm,” stated Kathy Murphy, who represents Esgar Ramirez and Jesse Lee Levario. “It`s all-consuming, mainly whilst we’ve got trials. If we take off this horse, what are the ramifications? If we live in this horse, those human beings could be glad and a person else could be mad.”

Murphy stated her ordinary day starts offevolved earlier than the morning works, as she attempts to pair her riders with ability destiny winners.

“I timetable all of the gallops and workout routines withinside the morning,” stated Murphy, whose brother Glen is a main Thoroughbred rider.

“Then I get my circumstance ee-e book and undergo every day and mark down what horses I suppose are stepping into what races, after which I name the running shoes and spot what they’re going to enter. I additionally make all of the tour preparations if my rider goes to some other track.”

Balancing Act

To position it simply, the task of an agent is to get his or her jockey at the nice feasible horse, however, there can be conditions wherein that doesn’t happen, and it is probably on purpose.

“Sometimes you appearance down the long avenue and now no

longer simply at that one race or that one day, however, what`s nice for the destiny,” Murphy stated approximately conditions wherein a jockey may not journey the maximum probably winner in an in a single day race as a way to preserve a mount in upcoming stakes or preserve desired repute with a specific teacher.

However, the conditions are pretty infrequent, so each access day gives a brand new assignment to each agent and rider withinside the look for a winner.

“The fundamental element is recruiting mounts and setting them at the nice horse I can,” stated Josh Van Oort, who spent 12 years as a racing reputable and racing secretary earlier than leaping the counter to end up an agent, presently for Berkley Packer and Juan Vazquez. “There are lots of morning paintings and several telecellsmartphone paintings.”

The degree of conversation among agent and rider can run the spectrum, with a few jockeys closely concerned in each selection approximately which horse to journey in each race and others leaving a maximum of these picks as much as their sellers, store for trials and stakes races.

But the task of turning in the information to the teacher, appropriate or horrific, falls at the agent.

“Nobody desires to be the bearer of horrific information,” stated Donnie Stewart, who represented now-retired, 10-time champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr. for approximately a decade and previously labored for seven-time All-American Futurity winner Jacky Martin.

Whether the information is right or horrific, Stewart attempts to deal with each teacher with admiration and make it clear that it`s only an enterprise selection and not anything personal.

Decisions, Decisions

While selecting the incorrect horse in a maiden claiming race isn’t going to seriously affect a rider or agent`s paycheck, that can’t be stated on the subject of wealthy futurity or derby. And even selecting the proper whendidreleasedate horse isn’t any assurance of victory, as a horrific break, difficult bump or another wide variety of factors can save you a horse from hitting the end line first. How to be a jockey agent