andymays
08-13-2010, 03:36 AM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/12/grand-end-to-jockeys-humble-beginning/
Excerpt:
Del Mar — Don Pierce started riding horses at bush tracks, crudely constructed ovals where guys bet on horses with no names ridden by fearless teenagers with no fear.
His jockey gear consisted of Levi’s, a T-shirt and a baseball hat turned backward. There was no helmet, no flak jacket or boots, just tennis shoes on his feet and a heart bursting with bravery.
“We got $5 if we won, nothing if we didn’t win,” Pierce said. “They were mostly match races. No gate. They just rang a bell to start, like in the movie, ‘Seabiscuit.’ I loved that movie because it reminded me of those days.”
Excerpt:
Del Mar — Don Pierce started riding horses at bush tracks, crudely constructed ovals where guys bet on horses with no names ridden by fearless teenagers with no fear.
His jockey gear consisted of Levi’s, a T-shirt and a baseball hat turned backward. There was no helmet, no flak jacket or boots, just tennis shoes on his feet and a heart bursting with bravery.
“We got $5 if we won, nothing if we didn’t win,” Pierce said. “They were mostly match races. No gate. They just rang a bell to start, like in the movie, ‘Seabiscuit.’ I loved that movie because it reminded me of those days.”