JOCKEY FORM GUIDE
As with any sportsman or sportswoman, form, ability and self belief are of huge significance. Unlike other sports, jockeys are largely reliant upon the ability of the animal beneath them. The best jockeys can achieve the maximum potential from a horse through rider technique, strength in the saddle, positioning, timing and experience but the boundaries are firmly set by a horses willingness, desire and physical limitations.
A large contribution to a riders success can be attributed to the work of his/her jockey agent. A jockey's agent is the person who makes engagements for or manages a jockey. A jockey takes a percentage of the winning purse for any race he/she wins and an agent takes a percentage of the jockey's winnings throughout the year. Therefore, agents have a huge financial incentive to liaise with trainers and owners in order to get the best rides for the jockey they are representing. Likewise, a leading jockey has a huge financial incentive to seek out the most able agent and advertise his/her marketability within the sport. A riders continuing success is self fulfilling. Performance will heighten speculation and this will in turn result in increased marketability and consequently better horses producing more winners.
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THE STATS - FLAT RACING
Take a look at the following artcle written by BBC's Matt Slater. It provides an interesting insight into the world of a jockey agent.
Behind every Frankie Dettori there is a Terry Pritchard - BBC Sport Online's Matt Slater uncovers the cut-and-thrust world of the jockey's agent.
Some people would be offended if you told them they reminded you of Arthur Daley or Derek Trotter.
But in Terry Pritchard's line of work it would be hard to come up with a finer compliment.
Like international man of mystery and beer taster, a jockey's agent is not the kind of occupation you find advertised at your local Job Centre.
But then Arthur and Del Boy never entered the entrepreneur's game through the usual channels either.
For Pritchard, his apprenticeship was served at a young age.
"I remember watching racing on television with my uncle when I was about seven," he said.
Hooked on horses
"I used to do all the maths for his bets - I got quite good at it."
A lively interest in the gee-gees turned into a potentially ruinous one when Pritchard reached 30 and decided to trade in his car for a race horse.
Clearly not concerned about the parking implications, Pritchard dived headlong into the racing business and soon found himself hooked.
But he did not stay just an owner for long.
"As an owner I got to meet jockeys. One of them, Tom McLaughlin, thought I had the gift of the gab and asked me if I could help him find rides," he said.
"Well, that was 1991 and one thing just led to another."
Pritchard now has three pros on his book, McLaughlin, Pat McCabe and Jason Tate, and one highly promising apprentice, Lee Paddock.
Work shortages
"It's a sales job really - lots of time on the phone pushing your product. No different to selling double-glazing or used cars," he said.
"The only difference is that you have to be able to read form. Having said that, I think it is the most under-valued job in racing."
With over 250 flat jockeys and apprentices chasing rides, and only four or five meetings on average a day, there is a large number of small people looking for work.
"I have seen how some of them struggle. You have to be first in line, it's not easy," he said.
And like every salesman the world over, Pritchard goes into battle armed only with a sales pitch and a thick skin.
"My pitch is relatively simple. I just tell the trainer that I have a top all-weather rider, who will give it his best shot and will ride to instruction," he said.
Winning margins
"The unwritten rule is that you always go through the trainer. Unless you know an owner very well, you just do not approach them - it's taboo."
If Pritchard pitches it right, and gets the all-important ride, his jockey will earn a set fee of £76 for a flat race, or £100 for a ride over the jumps.
The real money, however, is made in winnings - the jockey takes 10% of the purse.
This performance-related rewards package enables a jockey like Frankie Dettori to earn £3m and counting in prize money.
Which is all very well, if you are riding the world's finest thoroughbreds.
If, on the other hand, you ride more donkeys than Derby winners, you are going to struggle.
Precarious position
While an average jockey might make £40,000 a year, what they take home is a different story.
After Pritchard takes his 10-20% cut, travel, insurance and equipment expenses are factored in, and the taxman is satisfied, your headmaster's salary has quickly become more like a junior supply teacher's.
Not much for somebody who earns their living by perching on two small bits of metal attached to a horse travelling at 35-40mph.
But, according to Pritchard, and as Dettori et al have shown, the big bucks are out there for the very best.
So what, apart from bravery/stupidity, makes a rider a great jockey?
"The very best know how to market themselves - if you can't do that, you'll end up riding rubbish horses," Pritchard said.
"I would say that success is 70% marketing, 30% riding ability, and I have seen plenty of very average riders do very well.
The greatest
"If you are personable chap who can hold a conversation and sound interesting on TV, you will do just fine.
"Just look at Dettori. He probably isn't any better than Richard Quinn or many other jockeys, but he markets himself brilliantly."
As to who is the greatest of all time, Pritchard is in no doubt.
"The best jockey ever was Lester Piggott. Gordon Richards was a better rider, but Piggott was always one step ahead.
"He could come home in sixth but see another horse in the pack and work out where and why it went wrong.
"He would go up to the owner and say 'let me ride your horse at Beverley on Tuesday and I'll win', and it would!
"The man knew racing inside and out. Whatever the Inland Revenue might think of him, he was a genius."
Greedy bookies
Although Pritchard would never claim to be a genius, as both an owner and an agent he knows racing inside out too, and he is not entirely happy with the state of the industry.
"The main problem in this country is that the bookies do not put enough back in," he said.
"I don't care what anybody else says, racing is on its sickbed and it's because the bookies are greedy.
"This industry is governed by captains and colonels who have never run a business in their lives.
"If British racing was a company, it would be insolvent, and that is a disgrace when you consider the money that is generated."
Pritchard, however, is not the type to take this situation lying down, and like his entrepreneurial counterparts Daley and Trotter he has big plans for the future of racing.
Pritchard, who currently runs his jockey's agent business on a part-time basis, intends to go full-time soon. He is also hoping to start a sideline in racing syndicates.
With these two growing concerns, who knows, this time next year Pritchard and his buddies could all be millionaires.
Saturday, 3 February, 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/1152188.stm
Each year a new jockey championship starts with each rider battling to be crowned jockey champion. Detailed above are this years standings. Jockey status is undeniably an important factor when choosing a winning horse. You should never make your decision based purely on the profile of a jockey booking but it can help to point you in the right direction when other factors lack clarity.
THE JOCKEY CHAMPIONS: 1979 - 2007
The Champion Jockey title for flat racing in Great Britain is awarded to the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a season. The list below shows the Champion Jockey and the number of winners achieved for each year since 1840.
1840 - Nat Flatman - 50
1841 - Nat Flatman - 68
1842 - Nat Flatman - 42
1843 - Nat Flatman - 60
1844 - Nat Flatman - 64
1845 - Nat Flatman - 81
1846 - Nat Flatman - 81
1847 - Nat Flatman - 89
1848 - Nat Flatman - 104
1849 - Nat Flatman - 94
1850 - Nat Flatman - 88
1851 - Nat Flatman - 78
1852 - Nat Flatman - 92
1853 - John Wells - 86
1854 - John Wells - 82
1855 - George Fordham - 70
1856 - George Fordham - 108
1857 - George Fordham - 84
1858 - George Fordham - 91
1859 - George Fordham - 118
1860 - George Fordham - 146
1861 - George Fordham - 106
1862 - George Fordham - 166
1863 - George Fordham - 103
1864 - Harry Grimshaw - 164
1865 - George Fordham - 142
1866 - S. Kenyon - 123
1867 - George Fordham - 143
1868 - George Fordham - 110
1869 - George Fordham - 95
1870 - W. Gray / C. Maidment - 76
1871 - G. Fordham / C. Maidment - 86
1872 - Tom Cannon - 87
1873 - Harry Constable - 110
1874 - Fred Archer - 147
1875 - Fred Archer - 172
1876 - Fred Archer - 207
1877 - Fred Archer - 218
1878 - Fred Archer - 229
1879 - Fred Archer - 197
1880 - Fred Archer - 120
1881 - Fred Archer - 220
1882 - Fred Archer - 210
1883 - Fred Archer - 232
1884 - Fred Archer - 241
1885 - Fred Archer - 246
1886 - Fred Archer - 170
1887 - Charles Wood - 151
1888 - Fred Barrett - 108
1889 - Tommy Loates - 167
1890 - Tommy Loates - 147
1891 - Morny Cannon - 137
1892 - Morny Cannon - 182
1893 - Tommy Loates - 222
1894 - Morny Cannon - 167
1895 - Morny Cannon - 184
1896 - Morny Cannon - 164
1897 - Morny Cannon - 145
1898 - Otto Madden - 161
1899 - Sam Loates - 160
1900 - Lester Reiff - 143
1901 - Otto Madden - 130
1902 - Willie Lane - 170
1903 - Otto Madden - 154
1904 - Otto Madden - 161
1905 - Elijah Wheatley - 124
1906 - William Higgs - 149
1907 - William Higgs - 146
1908 - Danny Maher - 139
1909 - Frank Wootton - 165
1910 - Frank Wootton - 137
1911 - Frank Wootton - 187
1912 - Frank Wootton - 118
1913 - Danny Maher - 115
1914 - Steve Donoghue - 129
1915 - Steve Donoghue - 62
1916 - Steve Donoghue - 43
1917 - Steve Donoghue - 42
1918 - Steve Donoghue - 66
1919 - Steve Donoghue - 129
1920 - Steve Donoghue - 143
1921 - Steve Donoghue - 141
1922 - Steve Donoghue - 102
1923 - S. Donoghue / C. Elliott - 89
1924 - Charlie Elliott - 106
1925 - Gordon Richards - 118
1926 - Tommy Weston - 95
1927 - Gordon Richards - 164
1928 - Gordon Richards - 148
1929 - Gordon Richards - 135
1930 - Freddie Fox - 129
1931 - Gordon Richards - 145
1932 - Gordon Richards - 190
1933 - Gordon Richards - 259
1934 - Gordon Richards - 212
1935 - Gordon Richards - 217
1936 - Gordon Richards - 174
1937 - Gordon Richards - 216
1938 - Gordon Richards - 206
1939 - Gordon Richards - 155
1940 - Gordon Richards - 68
1941 - Harry Wragg - 71
1942 - Gordon Richards - 67
1943 - Gordon Richards - 65
1944 - Gordon Richards - 88
1945 - Gordon Richards - 104
1946 - Gordon Richards - 212
1947 - Gordon Richards - 269
1948 - Gordon Richards - 224
1949 - Gordon Richards - 261
1950 - Gordon Richards - 201
1951 - Gordon Richards - 227
1952 - Gordon Richards - 231
1953 - Sir Gordon Richards - 191
1954 - Doug Smith - 129
1955 - Doug Smith - 168
1956 - Doug Smith - 155
1957 - Scobie Breasley - 173
1958 - Doug Smith - 165
1959 - Doug Smith - 157
1960 - Lester Piggott - 170
1961 - Scobie Breasley - 171
1962 - Scobie Breasley - 179
1963 - Scobie Breasley - 176
1964 - Lester Piggott - 140
1965 - Lester Piggott - 160
1966 - Lester Piggott - 191
1967 - Lester Piggott - 117
1968 - Lester Piggott - 139
1969 - Lester Piggott - 163
1970 - Lester Piggott - 162
1971 - Lester Piggott - 162
1972 - Willie Carson - 132
1973 - Willie Carson - 164
1974 - Pat Eddery - 148
1975 - Pat Eddery - 164
1976 - Pat Eddery - 162
1977 - Pat Eddery - 176
1978 - Willie Carson - 182
1979 - Joe Mercer - 164
1980 - Willie Carson - 166
1981 - Lester Piggott - 179
1982 - Lester Piggott - 188
1983 - Willie Carson - 159
1984 - Steve Cauthen - 130
1985 - Steve Cauthen - 195
1986 - Pat Eddery - 176
1987 - Steve Cauthen - 197
1988 - Pat Eddery - 183
1989 - Pat Eddery - 171
1990 - Pat Eddery - 209
1991 - Pat Eddery - 165
1992 - Michael Roberts - 206
1993 - Pat Eddery - 169
1994 - Frankie Dettori - 233
1995 - Frankie Dettori - 211
1996 - Pat Eddery - 186
1997 - Kieren Fallon - 202
1998 - Kieren Fallon - 204
1999 - Kieren Fallon - 200
2000 - Kevin Darley - 155
2001 - Kieren Fallon - 166
2002 - Kieren Fallon - 136
2003 - Kieren Fallon - 207
2004 - Frankie Dettori - 192
2005 - Jamie Spencer - 163
2006 - Ryan Moore - 180
2007 - S. Sanders / J. Spencer - 190
