Jockeys and Jeans On Saturday March 29, Tampa Bay Downs will host the first “Jockeys and Jeans,” fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. This is a classic case of the over the hill gang meeting the wounded warriors. Laid back with a Florida Cracker flavor, “Jockeys and Jeans” will feature the usual autograph signing thing in the afternoon, and that evening a bar-be-cue in the tent next to the paddock. We’re all thinking short ribs. And if you come dressed up, you can’t get in without a note from your mommy. It may be the only time a group of former jockeys on their own organized any event, much less one to help their fallen comrades. While working with both PDJF and TBD’s Marketing Director Margo Flynn, the organizing committee will contain only former jockeys. Among them are Kentucky Derby winning rider Mike Manganello, Darrell Brown, (who stole my mount in the Derby and it’s in my book), Barry Pearl who was also the track photographer at Penn National before he discovered the real money was in Real Estate, TBD Clerk of Scales Dennis Petrucelli if we can get him off the golf course, myself, and to keep us all in line and gentlemanly, Barbara Jo Rubin, a groundbreaking female rider who had enough brass to ride a race at 65. With former pinheads running the show, this fundraiser is bound to turn into a funraiser. New and old- time fans will get to dine and mix and mingle with greats, near greats and hard working hacks like me who became more infamous than famous. We promise not to pick anyone’s pocket. We’ll all have a free dinner, talk about our mounts whose times will get faster and winning margins wider by the minute. We’ll get to brag about how many bones we broke in pursuit of a paycheck. I was thinking about having a contest with a prize to the former rider who broke the most bones. I brought up my 13 to Darrell Brown who hit me with 20. He’s counting individual vertebrae but then I’m doing the same with my ribs. Can any of you former jockeys out there in FBLand top 20? The same bone more than once counts every time. I promise to get serious about this at a later date and keep all informed. I’m sure some hall of famers will show up to swap lies with us lesser lights. Diane Crump, the first female to race, says she’ll be here. Maybe she and Barbara Jo will do a match races. If Julie Krone shows up maybe we can make it three and crown the All Time Queen. All of us are coming on our own dime. But we’ll leave knowing we helped those who but for fortune are us. Unlike us, these riders walked away with more than damp weather aches. Some didn’t walk away at all. We’ll do press releases and all that sort of thing. But for now, suffice to say the raceriders’ reunion at the first “Jockeys and Jeans” will take place. Anyone who rode a race at Tampa Bay Downs, aka Florida Downs, aka Sunshine Park is welcome to participate. I can be reached at ridethewhitehorse1@gmail or message me on Facebook.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:08:32 +0000
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