More Ideas For Jockeys (Trainers, too)

Jockey, Clint Goodrich in blue colors at the Montana State Fair Race Meet 2001

My blog entry on March 4th titled “10 Ideas For Jockeys On The Verge” has been shared over 900 times on Facebook (updated on 4/14/17). The post has been viewed on my blog over 6,500 times (updated on 4/14/17). I’ve had 40-some inquiries from jockeys AND trainers asking me if I have more ideas I can share. Other people also ask about my credentials. Asking how is it I’m qualified to give advice.

First off, I don’t even pretend to give advice. The only thing I can say having spent close to 25 years in the horse racing world, I learned some lessons. Most of them the hard way. I can only speak for myself and share what worked for me. Lots of jockeys and trainers have had far more success. I have more ideas. But nothing I say is Gospel. My insights might not work for you. I’ve been wrong a lot.

Clint Goodrich – Jockey

Clint Goodrich – Trainer

I’ve had the somewhat unique experience of working my way up from the bottom to become a jockey, then an assistant trainer, then trainer and then a jockey again. When I first started training, the President of Tartan Farms and Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud ask me, “How many horses do you own?” I answered, “I don’t own any.” He quickly shot back at me, “If you don’t own any horses, why the hell should you expect anyone to give you their horses to train when you don’t know what it’s like to pay a training bill?” This was a nice way of saying you need to put your money where your mouth is – or shut up.

Even though I routinely got in trouble with the “Racing Gods” because I always stuck up for myself everywhere I went, I decided not to shut up. From that moment on, I always owned or had ownership interest in horses when I was training. I owned a couple broodmares and shares in a handful of stallions too. I’ve been on many sides of this multi-sided sport. Because of this lesson dealt me by John Nerud, I found myself wildly inventive enough to figure out a way to own an interest in Graded Stakes winner and top stallion, Saint Ballado, who I’d bought as a yearling on behalf of a then client. Shortly thereafter I (along with two partners) purchased Saint Ballado away from “then unhappy” client and continued to train him throughout his racing career. It worked out.

Saint Ballado – Arlington Classic

Saint Ballado – Stallion    Taylor Made Farm

Winner’s Circle – Arlington Classic

Let’s face some facts. Not only jockeys but trainers as well. There are fewer tracks. (Who would’ve ever thought Hollywood Park would disappear into the sunset, without California falling into the ocean?) Far fewer racing dates, fewer races being run on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. Purse structure for participants is falling behind what was an upward trend not many years ago. This translates in to fewer horses to ride (or train). Competition for remaining horses is keen. While there are not as many jockeys (or trainers), the percentage decline in horses is a larger number. This means riders are chasing scant available mounts. Not to mention “quality” mounts. Trainers are competing for a dwindling supply of (quality) horses to train. Everyone is facing diminishing returns. This is only going to get worse. I welcome someone to prove me wrong. I love it when I’m wrong..

• OK, the remaining cards on the table are limited. Most available face cards have been played. If you’re going to win this hand, you’ll have to do it strategically, with low value cards and some measured, critically thinking. Don’t bluff, you’ll go broke. Many great people and top horsemen have retired. Others have found new callings in life or gotten completely burnt out and walked away in frustration. These voids have not been filled with the same kinds of people. Instead, many empty seats have been ripped away. The remaining empties have been largely been filled by charlatans.
• The decline of horsemanship is embarrassing. The downward spiral of remaining racetracks is nothing short of appalling. The entire industry is completely rudderless and has zero leadership. ZERO. For two decades racetrack ownership and management squealed and squawked for casinos, racinos, card tables and slots. What they really wanted to figure out, was a way to get rid of horses. They’re slowly succeeding. Every single remaining and operating racetrack is now putting the absolute least amount of dollars possible into the actual racing facility they can get away with. (Keeneland might be the lone exception) If they can get that number to NO dollars, they will do so. This trend is going to accelerate. Be prepared. More tracks are going to fall silent victim to weeds and the wrecking ball.

• However, even in this carnage there may be some smoldering opportunity. There will be horse racing on some level. The quality of that level will be determined by innovation and creative thinking. By people like you. Those who can adapt. Be warned though, you will have to work harder. Try harder. Fail more, then repeat. Jockeys, your legs and lungs are going to have to burn more. You’re going to have to try harder. Your business and communication skills must sharpen.
• Trainers, your horsemanship and business plans must improve in every area. We can talk about therapeutic medications another day but you’re probably gonna have to learn to survive without it on race days. As misguided as some medication rhetoric is, the public and public trust now demands medications drop to near zero. The racing fan in this case is horse racing’s market place. The market place always decides. The market is walking away. You gotta instill confidence to bring the public back. Medications at close to zero could be a big step forward. Trainers will need to sharpen their communications also, to their owners. You must convey to owners the importance of patience. To give you the needed time necessary to develop a horses potential. Explain to them, their investment is at stake. Shortcuts are costly. Rest can sometimes be the least expensive and most valuable thing you can give a horse.
• Ask yourself a simple question: What would I do tomorrow if I knew I could not fail? Your answer is very important. Decide if you REALLY want to ride races (or train horses) or even be in this business. Think this through carefully. Being a professional athlete of any kind is a privilege – a gift. It’s not a right. Every athlete has a shelf life. As I stated in recent blog post, “the clock” is always ticking. Never forget. It gets harder to return if you walk away, then decide to come back. Skills left unpolished atrophy. Trainers too. If you quit training, someone else takes your stalls.
• If you decide you are ready to walk. Your answer to the above question is critical. You should have a new quest, a new path in front of you. If you’re uncertain or unclear, consider this: What ARE you going to do? If you’re ready to embrace the life of being an entrepreneur, fantastic! Problem solved! Just make sure you are exploding with ideas, love rejection (you already have the proverbial leg up on this one, considering 15% winners means you failed 85% of the time), can re-invent the wheel or at least make it spin better.
• Can you operate on a handful of hours sleep? Are you prepared to fail every single day at a stunning rate of 99.5% failure and .05% victory. This makes a meager jockey’s (or trainer’s) win percentage of a 10 or 12% look sick with success. Consider that unless you have tech skills few possess, the entrepreneurship of Jeff Bezos, the business flair of Richard Branson or have the media savvy of Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, jobs are few and pay is light. You’ll get scant recognition and little chance for advancement. If you think you’re sick of being a jockey (or training horses) just try that $9 an hour gig. While your risk of broken bones and dislocated shoulders goes way down, I’m not sure it’s a fair trade.
• Can you re-invent yourself? Think about that. Then think about this: Are you confusing fatigue and burnout with truly wanting to walk away? Those factors can play tricks on your mind and body. If you’re killing yourself to keep your weight down and it’s doing irreparable damage to your health, all bets are off. Otherwise, before you make any decision, give yourself a break. Quit beating yourself to a pulp. Take a mental heath day or two off. Get a 90 minute hot-stone massage. A manicure. A pedicure. Really! I’m, serious! Pay someone a little money to take care of you for a few hours a couple days each month. Go away for a few days. Walk around by yourself. Think. Look around. Feel how it feels. Your business will not dry up. If people abandon you for this, they were going to abandon you anyway, they were looking for an excuse. You just helped them out and yourself at the same time. Trainers can apply this same metric.
• Break the bullshit jockey sin of having a nice breakfast out one morning. The next evening have a bowl of ice cream. You will not ruin your career with these two events once a week. This is giving yourself a permission slip to be a real person. It’s important. You’ll function better.
• If you have to, take a month off. Taking 30 days off is not quitting the sport or your career. Its giving yourself a chance to rest your mind and body. To heal. To get well. To re-evaluate. Everyone has to save themselves in this arena. No one is going to do it for you.
• If after doing these things, don’t be afraid to make a fresh start. Now, this one can be tricky. It can become a default way to deal with problems. So be careful. Jockey tack is light. It is ALWAYS easy to go to another race track. While as described, tracks are fewer, you can pick up your things and move to another race track. When it comes to being mobile, everybody should either be a jockey or a fly-fisherman. You don’t need anybody to help you move.
• Sometimes though a fresh start, coupled with new surroundings is helpful and can get you on the right side of life. If you do this, you must then implement serious and lasting change.
• When ask how he became a media mogul, Ted Turner said: “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell an advertise.” You really have to do the same thing. YOU are your product. You gotta take care of yourself, get plenty of rest (early to bed) so you can get up in the mornings (early to rise) and be at your best. Shake hands, be personable and nice to EVERYONE.
• Here comes the (work like hell and advertise part). Take care of the clientele you have but add this to your mornings: For the next three days in a row, go see a different trainer everyday who fired you and said they’d never put you back on a horse again. Just stop by and say hello. Compliment them on their last winner. Smile, be friendly. Only stick around for a minute or two. Be pleasant. Mention how nice their barn looks. (if it looks like crap, find something else to say, don’t be a phony) But don’t linger because they won’t understand. You want to be sincere, not raise suspicion. Most importantly, DO NOT ask them for ANYTHING.
• Once you’ve done this for three days in a row with three different trainers, find three other trainers who have never used you on a horse before – ever – and do the same thing. Skip a day then repeat. Rotate back through the same 6 trainers. You will be surprised how quickly a thaw in relationships can occur. You should be in the barn area from about 6am till at least 9:30am. You might as well use this time to your best advantage. A few hours of hustling OR dodging people while wandering around and looking at your phone? You decide.
• This game is a roller-coaster. You’re probably gonna have more bad days than good days. Try like hell to put some money away. I cannot stress the vital importance of saving some money. STOP spending money you do not need to spend. Tell to your friends in a nice but firm way you can no longer support them. You do not need to explain this action. Just tell them. Then, after you’ve looked yourself squarely in the eye while starring at the mirror, have a sincere conversation with your girlfriend, wife (or boyfriend, husband) if necessary, about the importance of putting some money away and the need to cut back on things that don’t matter. Lead by example. This is your ticket to independence. I’ve been flush with cash and I’ve been flushed. The only side of this coin that’s a winner is the side of having stashed some cash. It doesn’t have to be a ton of money. Enough to call your own shot on any given day. This is the definition of freedom and independence.
• Jockeys and trainers, accept it, there will always be people you can’t satisfy. You’re going to make mistakes out there. People will constantly second guess you. It goes with the deal. Everybody knows what you “should have done”. Of course they know this AFTER the fact. It’s not easy but forgive them, “they know not what they do” – someone said this 2000 years ago. Polish your skills. Hone your craft. Listen to what’s going on around you. Learn all you can. Help another struggling jockey, a trainer with just a couple horses or a racetrack worker where and when you can. The smallest sincere offer of assistance you can imagine, can mean the world to that person.

Years ago when I was a 16 year old kid, kicking my way through the dirt and windblown dust on the backside barn area of now nearly forgotten Santa Fe Downs, (you know what I’m talkin about Louie Figueroa) looking for a job doing anything, I had no experience, no skills to offer. I was running out of what little money I had and more desperately, I was running outta hope. I walked up to this mid-30 year old Texas cowboy and with my best available 16 year old voice, I ask him for a job. He ask me how old I was and did I have any experience. I said, “I’m 16. No sir, I don’t have any experience, but I really want to learn.” He just looked at me. He must have felt sorry for me because he gave me a job. I went from the depths of despair to cloud nine!

That cowboy, his name was Carl Nafzger… You really never know where the help is gonna come from OR who you’re helping.

Carl Nafzger – Kentucky Derby winning trainer   Unbridled and Street Sense

Carl Nafzger  Cowboy/Bullrider