If you are one of the people who never have cared about horse racing, a couple of resources might pique your interest entering the premier race of all, this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.
One is the HBO documentary “Jockey,” which details the lifestyles of the men who ride horses. As the film shows, some suffer from bulimia. They can’t weigh less than 112 pounds but no more than 116 or so, and they risk being fired by horse owners. If they are not vomiting their dinner, the documentary shows most jockeys are sweating off pounds in a sauna – or “hotbox,” as they call it.
Here are some other facts and figures about the “Sport of Kings” that might surprise the apathetic.
* According to the documentary, $16 billion per year is wagered on horse racing, second only to football.
* The sport is the second-most dangerous of all toward its human participants, preceded only by skydiving.
It also might surprise people to discover one only makes real money as a jockey by finishing in the top three in a race. Jockeys normally get 10 percent of the total first-prize purse of a race and 5 percent each for second and third.
The fourth-place jockey in the Kentucky Derby will make about $100. A fourth-place finisher in a PGA tournament probably will pocket about $100,000.
So not every top-five athlete in pro sports is riding on his high horse.
– Adrian Dater
AROUND THE STATE
Everyone’s in the pool … and for good reason. Colorado’s swimming and diving championships for two classifications will have preliminaries Friday and finals Saturday. In Fort Collins, Class 5A will be decided at Edora Pool Ice Center; for 4A, it’s Mountain View High School in Loveland. It’s one of the most competitive gatherings we have in a school year.
THE COUCH
Off: Forget to get Mom that basket of flowers or box of chocolates? How about springing for her race registration before brunch? The Mamma Mia 5K run/walk goes off at 8:30 a.m. at Denver’s City Park. Part of the entry fee will benefit the HIV Care Link, which works on prevention of and education about the virus. Also, there are numerous races around the state Saturday as leftovers from Cinco de Mayo. One of our favorite sites is active.com for all the racing info.
On: Mired in a three-game losing streak, maybe this isn’t the best week for the Crush to be the AFL’s Sunday game of the week (KUSA-9). Be that as it may, Colorado travels south and hopes to put a hex on the skid against the New Orleans Voodoo. With a little help from some other teams, the Crush (8-5) actually could clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win.
WEAK IN REVIEW
1. Sure, Jeff Van Gundy might be going a little heavy on the conspiracy theory, but $100,000 for that? Looks like freedom of speech does come at a price.
2. This could be a topic of review every week until October, but the Rockies have to do something about that bullpen. It might not be long before we see the first sub-10,000 crowd at Coors Field (that’s paid, not announced).
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
1. The Rapids match their season total with five goals Sunday at Los Angeles. Although five goals would tie the Rapids’ team record set in 2002, it might be asking for a little much against the Galaxy, which has allowed only five goals all season. How about just a win, then?
2. The Spurs win the whole thing. Losing to eventual champs might take the sting out of another first-round exit maybe.
