Statements on Jockeys Draw Heavy Criticism

I’ve read some insensitive and self-serving statements in my time, but few as disturbing as those uttered by Wayne Lukas, Steve Taub and Bob Baffert in Robyn Norwood’s excellent and timely story about jockeys and weights.

Anyone with a concern for the human condition should find Lukas’ comments concerning “flipping,” Taub’s generalization that all jockeys earn between $250,000 to $500,000 a year and need “self-discipline and diet” to control their weight, and Baffert’s assertion that “all they need is a little protein bar” to be ludicrous on their face.

All but the very top riders seem to be treated as a necessary evil, only placed on top of a mount to keep it from running into the others or off the track. I’d guess that trainers and owners would do without jockeys entirely if it were possible to get all the horses to run a straight course from start to finish.

I imagine jockeys have very little leverage in this situation, especially since California won’t want to be an island in this debate. Here’s hoping some rational decision-makers will look after the health and welfare of jockeys and understand that many of these men and women are forced into an eating disorder to be able to earn a living at their profession. It’s not a pretty picture, and it’s made uglier by the attitudes of those in a position to do the right thing.

Charlie Fleishman

Eugene, Ore.

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To Steve Taub, Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert: Sounds like you are the ones who have “flipped.”

Jack Nelson Soll

Brentwood