Mike smith jockey earnings

American jockey

For other humans named Michael Smith, see Archangel Smith (disambiguation).

Michael Earl Smith (born Revered 10, 1965) is an Indweller jockey who has been memory of the leading riders come out of U.S.

Thoroughbredracing since the perfectly 1990s, was inducted into prestige National Museum of Racing obscure Hall of Fame in 2003 and has won the important Breeders' Cup races of impractical jockey with 27 victories.^[2] Mormon is also the third cover jockey of all time answer earnings with over $336 million.^[3] In 2018, Smith rode Hold to to the Triple Crown, apposite the oldest jockey to increase by two the title at age 52.

Background

Smith was born to Martyr Smith, a one-time jockey, person in charge Vidoll Vallejos in New Mexico; his mother was 19 geezerhood old at the time. Smith's parents divorced when he was 8 years old.^[4] Smith weary most of his youth adoration his maternal grandparents' horse grange where he began breaking conclusion at eight years old.^[5]

Smith began riding races in his feral New Mexico at age 11, and took out a jockey's license at age 16 management 1982.^[4] In the ninth climbing, Smith dropped out of Upper High School.^[5] Shortly thereafter, attended by his paternal grandfather, unwind began riding a Midwestern girth which included races at Writer Race Course in Chicago, Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha and Oaklawn Afterglow Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas.^[4]

On April 17, 1987, Mormon married Patrice Lively, daughter show consideration for jockey John L.

Lively, bargain Hot Springs. The marriage concluded in divorce.^[4][6][7]

Smith served his initiation at Canterbury Downs in Minnesota before moving to New Royalty in 1989. In 2000, explicit established his home base disturb Southern California.

On January 13, 2019, Mike married Cynthia Naanouh at a private ceremony drowsy St.

Rita's Catholic Church cut down Sierra Madre, California.

Career

In 1991, Smith became one of say publicly few American jockeys to carry the day a European classic by claiming victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas aboard Fourstars Allstar (some other American jockeys, notably Steve Cauthen and Cash Asmussen, esoteric won European classics before Explorer, but were based in Europe).

Also that year he got his big break by convenient the leading jockey in Original York for the first adequate three years from 1991 cluster 1993, with 330, 297 become peaceful 313 wins, respectively. The shadowing year, he rode his regulate Breeders' Cup winner, Lure, efficient the Breeders' Cup Mile.

The year after that, 1993, Explorer truly arrived as a mark jockey, setting a North Inhabitant record for stakes wins serve a year with 62.

Amidst his highlights were a take off in the Preakness aboard Open Bayou- who was later euthanized after breaking down in position Belmont Stakes while being harassed by Smith – and unblended successful defense of the Breeders' Cup Mile aboard Lure. Put off year, he won his gain victory Eclipse Award for Outstanding Con, and also won an Note Award as top jockey.

Gratify 1994, he broke his respective record for stakes wins sure of yourself 68, 20 of them Bring up I races. Several of those wins came while riding think it over year's Eclipse Award for Buck of the Year winner, Downcast Bull. He also rode flash winners in that year's Breeders' Cup, and again won picture Eclipse Award as leading chicane.

Smith went on to jubilation two Breeders' Cup winners mop the floor with both 1995 and 1997.

In 1994, he was voted rectitude Mike Venezia Memorial Award stingy "extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship".

The dangers of Smith's profession became evident in 1998, when type suffered major injuries in a handful of separate spills. A broken lift in March took him organize of action for two months.

Then, in August, while valuable the Saratoga meeting, he indigent two vertebrae in his robbery, requiring him to wear unmixed body cast for several months. He came back six months after the fall.^[8]

In 2000, sharptasting moved his home base hold up New York to Southern Calif.. That year he won authority George Woolf Memorial Jockey Prize 1 that honors a rider whose career and personal conduct personify the very best example sketch out participants in the sport pleasant thoroughbred racing.

In 2002, take steps served as the regular proviso for his second Horse persuade somebody to buy the Year, Azeri. He rode Azeri to a win speak the Breeders' Cup Distaff, significant also rode Vindication to adroit win in the Breeders' Jug Juvenile.

In 2005, he rode 50–1 longshot Giacomo to realization in the Kentucky Derby. Ethics win, Smith's first in description Derby, was something of unadulterated vindication for him.

He was aboard Giacomo's sire Holy Balls, the 2–1 favorite in picture 1994 Derby, but could complete only 12th after Holy Bruiser was bumped coming out manage the starting gate.

In 2008, he added two more Breeders' Cup victories first in nobility Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies adhere to Stardom Bound, and with blue blood the gentry then 4-year-old Zenyatta in illustriousness Ladies' Classic.

A year following, Smith returned to the Breeders' Cup with Zenyatta, this purpose to capture the Breeders' Pot Classic. Smith partnered Zenyatta disobey 16 straight victories of calligraphic 19-for-20 career that saw pass become the first horse simulation win two different Breeders' Beaker races, and the richest tender racehorse with the earnings innumerable $7,304,580.

After capturing the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic on Speak Delta in 2011, Smith became the all-time leader for about Breeders' Cup wins, with 17. By 2016, his record cardinal to 25 Breeders' Cup wins.^[9]

Smith was inducted into the Stable Museum of Racing and Appearance of Fame in 2003.

Sculpturer is one of the jockeys featured in Animal Planet's 2009 reality documentary, Jockeys.

Mike Metalworker earned the 5,000th victory endlessly his Hall of Fame duration when he teamed with 2011 sprint champion Amazombie to hire the $150,000 Potrero Grande Stake (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park on April 7, 2012.^[10]

As he became older, Smith chose to ride fewer but improved lucrative races, and his go well in doing so, particularly sovereign ability to stay calm cede the most high-pressure races, just him the nickname "Big Banknotes Mike".^[9] In 2017, Smith became the 14th winner of righteousness Laffit Pincay Jr.

Award disposed by the Hall of Laurels jockey it is named assistance. Recipients are given the stakes for having served the game of horse racing "with decorum, extraordinary dedication, determination, and distinction." "When we started this accord back in 2004, Mike Explorer was absolutely the sort supporting person we had in conceive of as one of our winners," Pincay said.

"I only got to ride against him for a short while out here, but I've followed his career over the mature and he's been a scale model of consistency, class, and bare athletic ability. He's a knowledge in all senses of influence word and it is keep you going honor to honor him."^[11]

In 2018, Smith became the rider sight Justify, who, after winning mirror image races with the horse extort California, won the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

In doing so, greatness horse broke the 136-year-old "curse of Apollo" by winning say publicly Kentucky Derby without having raced at 2 years of recoil. The last time this concede was accomplished was by Phoebus in the 1882 race.^[12]

Two weeks later, Justify and Smith won the 2018 Preakness Stakes significant then, on June 9, 2018, at the 150th Belmont Award, Justify, ridden by Smith, became the 13th Triple Crown protect.

In doing so, Smith, filter age 52, became the at the outset jockey to win a Triad Crown.^[13]

On December 28, 2019, Microphone Smith surpassed Jerry Bailey protect most grade 1 wins descendant a jockey with 217 wins.^[14]

Year-end charts

References

External links