Unless owning Baaed, below, Nature Strip or Anamoe or a billionaire jockey, trainer, racing executive or owner, or anyone who is someone in the star chamber of horse racing, winning big money on the races can be quite a slog- and that’s putting it mildly.
Depending on how you play the game and how much you’re prepared to lose, racing is where everyone has different strategies and jockeys they follow who offer value that’s more than forty cents on the dollar. Or in the case last Saturday at Doomben, trying to make 35 cents on the dollar by backing Go Wandji- and losing.
Then there were those who refused to believe that Verry Elleegant could not lose this weekend in her first appearance outside of Australia. She did.
Under new colours, these were lowered when she ended up an inglorious last in a field of seven at Deauville to Aristia with Sean Levy up in the 2000m Darley Prix Jean Romanet.
That, as they say, is racing. It’s a game of chance.
As for jockeys who offer value while some of us ponder about the economics and future of what could be an expensive hobby if not already a billionaire power broker, it’s something tough to answer.
It’s something personal that’s constantly being accessed and processed.
For what it’s worth, here’s our top ten “value jockeys” taking into consideration many things, some of which must stay under wraps.
To keep things upbeat and frothy, this particular Top Ten includes a “horses and jockeys for courses” approach and leaves out the usual suspects who ride the best horses in any given race- and could still lose.
Whether one wins at Rockhampton, Shatin, Townsville, Nowra, Ascot, Longchamp, Japan, Dubai, York, Greyville, Rosehill or Caulfield, a winner is a winner... and money smells the same everywhere.
Sam Clipperton (Australia)
Rachel King (Australia)
Neil Callan (UK)
Ethan Brown
Holly Watson (Western Australia)
Derek KC Leung (Hong Kong)
Matthew Chadwick (Hong Kong)
Alana Kelly (Australia)
Tom Marquand (UK)
Samantha Collett
Of course, there’s a laundry list of jockeys and stables we wouldn’t touch with a barge pole...
In the meantime and to just remind ourselves of life’s priorities and kindness and how money isn’t everything, here’s something we read, and to perhaps take on board...
“To the man in 2D. Today you were traveling from Orlando to Philly. I don’t know you, but I imagine you saw us somewhere. I was pushing a stroller, had a diaper bag on my arm and also lugging an oxygen machine for my daughter. We had smiles on our faces as we were headed to see her “friends” at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). We pre- boarded the plane, got cozy in our window seat and made jokes to those around us about having to sit by my yelling-but-happy baby. The flight attendant came over and told me you were waiting to switch seats. You were giving up your comfortable, first class seat to us.
Not able to hold back tears, I cried my way up the aisle while my daughter Lucy laughed! She felt it in her bones too... real, pure, goodness. I smiled and thanked you as we switched but didn’t get to thank you properly.
Sooo... thank you. Not just for the seat itself but for noticing. For seeing us and realizing that maybe things are not always easy. For deciding you wanted to show a random act of kindness to us. It reminded me how much good there is in this world. I can’t wait to tell Lucy someday. In the meantime... we will pay it forward. AA 588 passenger in seat 2D, we truly feel inspired by your generosity.”
Credit: Kelsey Zwick
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