Paddy Head
Paddy Head
Paddy Head is a retired jockey that rode from the 70's till 1990. Liz Lundunberg put me in touch with Paddy and I sent her an email interview and here is what she said to my questions. Paddy has a very interesting story to tell:
FOTH: At a young age were you interested in horses at all and at what age did
you develop a serious interest in horses?
PH: I grew up with an invisible horse as there were no
horse people in my family. I didn't ride till the age of sixteen when I found
a rental stable and rode a little brown mare named Fireball. She gave me a taste
for galloping.
FOTH: How long did you actual ride for and what led to your retirement?
PH: I was on the racetrack from 1970 until 1990. I had
my jockey's license from'73. I trained for a couple of years in the '80's but
the rest of time I rode. I retired at the age of 40 because it was time to pursue
other interests like writing.
FOTH: Looking back was it easier or harder becoming a jockey?
PH: Both. Pioneers have a rough time getting started but
there were fewer rules and restrictions back in the '60's and '70's. In Boston,
where I rode mostly, the women really supported each other. Not all tracks were
like that.
FOTH: Looking back at your riding career what are some of the highlights that
you remember and what are some of the low points that you remember?
PH: Some of my best races weren't winners but horses that
had a lot of heart. Whenever a horse gave me a hundred percent, I was thrilled
with them, wherever we finished. I often rode nervous horses that had never
hit the board and moved them up five to ten lengths. One of my most challenging
rides was on a horse named Flying Voyage who would open up 20 lengths and die
in mid-stretch. I say quietly on him, holding him together and didn't move a
muscle until the last stride when I got his nose on the wire in front. The low
points were when I worked with a horse for months, getting them fit and ready,
riding them in their first few races and then losingthem to one of the leading
jockeys when the horse was ready to win.
FOTH: I know it has been a long time, but tell me what can you remember about
your 1st race?
PH: Can you ever forget your first race? The horse's name
was Check Carefully. It was only my second time ever in the starting gate. We
were loaded last and broke first. We went right to the front. It was at Blue
Bonnets in Montreal, a 5/8th track. When I went past the grandstand the first
time, I posed like Willie Shoemaker. I stayed in front all the way around and
into the homestretch. Just as I thought I was going to win, a horde of horses
rushed up. I finished fourth beaten half a length. Then I couldn't stand up
in the stirrups without bracing my knees into the saddle. But I got my horse
pulled up before the outrider grabbed me.
FOTH: Tell me what you can remember about your 1st win and did the jockeys
cream you after the race?
PH: It was the final day of the Suffolk Downs summer meet, '74. All the races
were held on the turf course. I'd never seen my mount before, a chestnut filly
named Test Red. Neither of us had ever been on the turf course before. It felt
so odd to have green under the horse's feet. She tried to get her head down
in the gate to take a bite. We broke with the leaders and stayed close. At the
head of the stretch we took the lead and galloped away to win by three lengths.
It was the most amazing feeling in the world. I still can't think of anything
that compares.
FOTH: I know you wrote and published a book. Tell me the name of the book,
what it is about and where can people order it?
PH: My first novel is titled Majeek, which is both the
name of a racehorse and a special power. It is a story of an ancient life and
a present day life and how the filly, Majeek, brings her jockey, Sally O'Sullivan,
in touch with her past life. It is out of print at the moment but I am just
completing the first in my Breakthrough series, a collection of novels about
racing in New England in the era of Fat Tony Ciullo and the Winter Hill Gang.
It's full of racing thrills, mafia and life on the backside.
FOTH: Did you have a favorite track that you rode or or favorite horse?
PH: Suffolk Downs is definitely my favourite and most
familiar track. A special horse by the name of The Heckler was one of my first
mounts there. He was seven years old when I first rode him as an apprentice.
I rode him in 45 races and we only missed picking up a check twice. He taught
me more than anyone else, both human and equine. Special mention goes to Bouncing
Bessie, Black's Home Law, Queen Orissa and Bobby's Boy.
FOTH: Do you still follow the sport much now and do you think female jockeys
will ever be given a fair share in the sport so to speak?
PH: Yes, I follow the races both to watch and to write
about. I think horse racing is the most dangerous sport out there and whether
you're male or female, being a jockey is tough. It's a fact that women are lighter
than men and horses relate to women better but the racetrack is so traditional
and prejudice runs deep. It'll remain a fight for women jockeys, at least at
the top stakes level.
FOTH: When you were riding what did you do to prepare for a race?
PH: The physical preparation was easy but mentally it
was more of a challenge. I had to clear my mind of anything that would interfere
with my focus and get rid of any negative feelings about the horse or the race.
Camaraderie in the jocks' room in New England was good and that was helpful.
Once I was legged up into the saddle, I had no problems. It's the waiting beforehand
that
could get to me.
FOTH: The book you wrote how long did it take you to write it and looking back
was writing the book harder than you thought and would you consider writing
another one?
PH: I did two versions of Majeek. The original I wrote
in 1988 but didn't feel that I had accomplished what I set out to achieve. I
rewrote it in 2002, in six months. The discipline from all those years of racing
was very helpful to me in staying focused and not giving up but writing a novel
is very hard work. I'm loving the process of writing my Breakthrough series.
It gets me back on the racetrack and into the starting gate.
FOTH: If a young girl came to you and said she wanted to be a jockey what advice
would you give to her?
PH: I would tell her that honing her mental capacities
and controlling her emotions are as important as honing her riding skills. The
people on the backstretch, the trainers and owners, are often harder to deal
with than the horses. Disappointment can crush your spirit faster than a spill
can break your body. Overall, the horses are the easiest ones to deal with.
Mostly, the other jockeys are okay too. Their life is on the line and they will
respect any woman who shows that she has ability. If there is a personal vendetta
that a jockey has towards you, speak about it openly so all the other jockeys
know what's going on.
FOTH: Did most of the tracks that you rode at have female jockey rooms or did
you have to go change elsewhere?
PH: Blue Bonnets had a room the size of a closet but I
wasn't there long. Some of the tracks had little trailers at the back, like
Narragansett Park. Suffolk Downs had a great room for the women, right from
the early '70's.
FOTH: Did you pretty much get along with all the male jocks or did you have
arguments with them?
PH: There was one jockey, Gary, who had a personal vendetta
against me which had nothing to do with racing but he took it out on me on the
track whenever he could. Another jockey , Tony,was responsible for several near
misses for me and two of my spills. Even though Tony didn't do it on purpose,
he was a bad omen for me and I avoided him as much as I could. Other than that,
I was treated the same as everyone else.
FOTH: Tell me a good, funny jockey story.
PH: I was riding a first time starter. When the gate opened, he hesitated. Then
the bell went off and he started jerking up and down like he was being hit with
electricity. Finally the bell stopped, I chirped at him and he took off but
we were 10 lengths behind the field.. As we neared the turn, I was catching
up to the second to last horse and saw that Suzie Pye was in the saddle. Just
as I reached her flanks, I let out a holler hoping to startle both horses into
action. The only one startled was Suzie, who jumped up, lost her reins and almost
fell off. "Oh mah gawd," she said in her southern drawl, "I thought
I was last!"
FOTH: When you rode in your last race, did you know at the time it was your
last race and did you miss it all at first when you retired?
PH: Yes, I rode my last race at Assiniboia Downs in Manitoba.
It was a beautiful track, great people and I knew I would miss it terribly.
It is now 19 years since that day and I've finally accepted the fact that there
is a big hole in my life that will never be filled by something else. I love
writing about the racetrack and riding races once again with my characters.
Mostly I love taking my readers out of the starting gate to the inside rail,
let them feel the sting of dirt flung in their face at 35 miles an hour, have
them rush through an opening while brushing boots with the jockeys on either
side and experience the thrill of passing under the wire in front. That almost
fills the hole.
FOTH: As an ex jockey, can you watch a race and see if a jockey gave a horse
a bad ride?
PH: It's sometimes obvious that a horse is getting a bad
race but what isn't as easy to see is why that's happening. A horse may look
like it's running along just fine but he could be lugging in or out, he could
have his jaw locked and not be responding the rider. There are so many variables
that are not obvious to the naked eye.
FOTH: Do you think the weights should be raised a couple pounds for the riders?
PH: I think they should hire more women and stop worrying
about the men who can't make the weight.
FOTH: If you could change a few things about the sport what would they be and
why?
PH: I like the idea that the use of the whips are being
more controlled. I believe that most racing injuries happen in the last sixteenth
of a mile when the horse is tired and the jockey is whipping to get that extra
ounce from the horse. I'd like to see more hand rides in that last sixteenth.
FOTH: I see that you do some speaking engagements. What do you speak about
and about how many of them have you done so far?
PH: I speak mostly about animal communication. I call myself an Equine Communication
Consultant and I am hired by people to communicate with their animals, mostly
horses. I speak mostly to groups who have some connection with horses. Given
the chance, I'll speak about almost anything. Motivational speaking gets my
blood going.
FOTH: Do you think another female jockey will ever win a Triple Crown Race?
PH: Yes, I believe there will be a woman at that level.
It very well could be Chantal Sutherland, though I'm sure there are others out
there who are riding horses that may prove to be of that quality. It'll take
a determined owner and trainer to keep the women on and not give in to one of
the agents for the top guys.
FOTH: Paddy I am out of questions . Thumbs up for the interview and do you
have any last words you would like to say and plug your website if you want.
PH: I would like to acknowledge how horseracing has shaped
my life. There isn't a single aspect of my life that hasn't been improved because
of my 20 years on the racetrack. Being a jockey has given me courage and self-esteem,
taught me to think on my feet, make quick decisions and accept responsibility
for the consequences of those decisions. And thanks to The Heckler, I've learned
to never give up, no matter how far behind I am, no matter how bad it looks.
In the end, I'll come out a winner.
Please check out www.paddyhead.ca and I'll keep you posted on my new novels.