THE JORDAN OF ... HORSE RACING

Jerry Bailey: Jockey extraordinaire

Horse racing is the sport of kings, its principles largely unchanged from its prehistoric origins. Over the years, a number of horses have made history (or disappeared into it) by a nose. But when it comes to crowning the greatest jockey of all time, it's Jerry Bailey by a furlong.

"I wanted to be a football player," Bailey says. "But my size [5'5'', 112 lbs.] kept me from doing that. I tried basketball and track and eventually wrestled, but I didn't have a passion for it."

Instead, he fell in love with thoroughbred racing while growing up on his family's farm in west Texas. When he wasn't riding at home, he would be at Sunland Park in New Mexico with his father James. It was here where he became enamored with the jockey life, which is much more glamorous than one would expect.

"I loved seeing the jockeys in their silks break from the gate at 40 miles an hour," Bailey says. "And when I saw them leaving the track with a blonde and a big car I thought, 'This is for me.'"

He got the girl. He got the car. He also got a whole lot more.

Bailey began riding professionally in 1974 at the age of 17 at Sunland Park, where he would quickly pick up the first of his 5,893 career wins. He would go on to win two races at each triple-crown track, and become the all-time Breeders' Cup wins leader with 15 victories. Add that to a record seven Eclipse Awards (given to the most outstanding jockey every season since 1971) and a trip to the Hall of Fame in 1995, and you've got quite the resume.

"It's kind of addictive to be on top," Bailey says. "Once I was there, I didn't want to let it go. The longer I was at the top, the harder I'd work."

This work ethic and drive set Bailey apart from his competition. When he wasn't scouring racing forms to learn the tendencies of every frontrunner and longshot, he was studying film to learn—and exploit—the weaknesses of his fellow jockeys and their mounts.

"I tried to go above and beyond," he says. "I would study their habits—whether a horse is known to suddenly stop, whether a certain jockey rode the rail. Just little things that make a difference."

Then there's the schmoozing. One can't have a 32-year career racing thoroughbreds without the ability to sell himself.

"There's a lot of salesmanship involved in the sport," Bailey says. "Even though we have agents, it's not like we're signed to a team. It's still very much a freelance type of deal."

Horse owners know the value of a good jockey. In a sport that's defined by the photo finish, every advantage counts, a fact Bailey, one-half of the closest finish in Kentucky Derby history ("about 1/4 of an inch"), knows all too well. And while many spectators contend that the true athlete of this sport is the horse, the 50-year-old maintains that's not the case—entirely.

"It's probably about 90% the horse and 10% the jockey," Bailey says in defense of his craft. "A good jockey can't get a bad horse to the finish line first, but a bad jockey can get a good horse beat pretty quickly."

Now, two years retired, Bailey makes his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. with his wife Suzee and 15-year old son Justin. But he still remains close to the sport he fell in love with as a child, serving as a race analyst for ESPN and ABC throughout the year.

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