''Jockeys'' is an American documentary

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series that premiered on February 6, 2009 on

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily dev ...

. The series chronicles the professional lives of

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

s during the famous thirty-day Oak Tree Meet at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. First and second season episodes aired on Friday nights.

Trevor Denman Trevor Denman (born 24 September 1952) is a South African American sportscaster and public-address announcer specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing. Background Denman was born in Germiston, Gauteng, South Africa. A part-time jockey and exe ...

is the show's host. The second season, which premiered on August 21, 2009 added

Corey Nakatani Corey S. Nakatani (born October 21, 1970 in Covina, California, United States) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He got his big break in 1990 when he rode Itsallgreektome to win big stakes races. Nakatani has long resided on the S ...

and

Garrett Gomez Garrett Keith Gomez (January 1, 1972 – December 14, 2016) was an American Thoroughbred jockey who won two Eclipse Awards and thirteen Breeders' Cup races during his career. Racing career Early career Gomez learned to ride by watching his fathe ...

to the featured jockeys while

Jon Court Jon Kenton Court (born November 26, 1960 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. Having grown up in Florida, Jon Court began riding in Colorado at the now closed Centennial Park in 1980. He rode in Louisiana ...

departed to race in Kentucky. The taglines of the show are: *"Win or Die Trying" for season 1 and *"To Win It All You Have to Risk It All" for season 2. " Stronger" by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

is used as the theme song.

Featured jockeys

Main

Mike E. Smith Michael Earl Smith (born August 10, 1965) is an American jockey who has been one of the leading riders in U.S. Thoroughbred racing since the early 1990s, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2003, and has won the ...

– A veteran and Hall of Fame jockey *

Chantal Sutherland Chantal Sutherland (born February 23, 1976, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian model, television personality and jockey in North American Thoroughbred horse racing. She is referred to as the Danica Patrick of horse racing. She is known for her ap ...

– Her move from Canada to California to continue her relationship with Mike Smith serves as a dramatic subplot in the series. Sutherland's struggles as a female jockey trying to break into a man's world is a key plot point. *

Joe Talamo Joseph "Joe" Talamo (born January 12, 1990 in Marrero, Louisiana) is a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Born and raised in Marrero on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, within the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area, J ...

– A young and successful jockey. The series chronicles how he handles success at a young age. *

Aaron Gryder Aaron Tod Gryder (born June 5, 1970, in West Covina, California) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Career At age 16 in 1986, Gryder began his career as a professional jockey in Tijuana, Mexico at Agua Caliente Racetrack. His fi ...

– A veteran hard-working family man who has never won the big race but continues to press on. *

– A 30-year veteran still chasing his dreams. * Kayla Stra – A young Australian trying to break into the US racing world. *

Alex Solis Alex O. Solis (born March 25, 1964) is a jockey based in the United States. He lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California. He got his big break and his first gained national prominence when he won the 1986 Preaknes ...

– Solis is trying to recover from a broken back injury. *

– Breaks his collarbone in a fall early in the Oak Tree Meet in Season 1. His comeback his chronicled in Season 2. *

– Featured in the various episodes in Season 1 and was introduced as the nation's hottest jockey. He becomes a featured jockey in Season 2.

Other

Iggy Puglisi Iggy or Iggie is a unisex name and it is often a short form of the Roman Latin names Ignatia (feminine) and Ignatius (masculine), or their derivatives in other European languages. As such the name is derived ultimately from the Etruscan language ...

– While not billed as a featured jockey in the series, Puglisi is a major focus in Season 2's second episode as he attempts to come back from a broken back injury. *

Brandon Meier Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

– Brandon is the son of successful jockey

Randall Meier Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city * Randall, Minneso ...

. * Gary Stevens – Featured in various episodes, he rides in the Jockey Living Legends race *

Sandy Hawley Desmond Sandford "Sandy" Hawley, (born April 16, 1949 in Oshawa, Ontario) is a Canadian Hall of Fame jockey. Sandy Hawley decided to be a jockey when he was a 17-year-old boy, hotwalking, grooming and excise horses at a Woodbine racetrack in Toro ...

– Hawley wins the Jockey Living Legends race aboard Tribal Chief. *

Julie Krone Julieann Louise Krone (born July 24, 1963), is a retired American jockey. In 1993, she became the first (and so far only) female jockey to win a Triple Crown race when she captured the Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair. In 2000, she became the ...

– Featured in the Jockey Living Legends episode, Krone's status as the world's best female jockey is juxtaposed against Chantal's storyline. *

Angel Cordero Jr In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

– Featured in the Jockey Living Legends episode. *

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

, featured in the Jockey Living Legends episode. *

Rafael Bejarano Rafael Bejarano (born June 23, 1982 in Arequipa, Peru) is a champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He trained at the Peruvian national riding school before embarking on his professional career in 1999. Having met with success, inclu ...

– Featured in various episodes. *

Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Monteverde (born February 15, in Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Coa was born and raised in Venezuela A five-time Judo Champion in his teens, He attended jockey school from 1989 to 1991 then began his pr ...

, cameos in the first two episodes. *

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (Lima, June 12, 1967) is a Peruvian-born American jockey, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. His big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races in ...

– Cameos in the first two episodes.

Episodes

Season 1 (2009)

Season 2 (2009)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jockeys Animal Planet original programming 2000s American documentary television series 2009 American television series debuts 2009 American television series endings