Thoroughbred Jockey

Thoroughbred Jockey:
Racehorse jockey fever ran through my blood at the age of 4. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. When I was eight years old I walked hots at the track and did odd and end jobs all the while learning from my family. I galloped my first race horse at Wrap Around Training Center when I was twelve years old. I would get up at 4:30 a.m. and head for the training center and gallop some easy horses that trainers had allowed me to learn on. After I finished morning galloping I would go to school, and when school let out I headed straight to the track. I loved watching the feature race, which was usually a stakes race or a high dollar allowance race. I knew who every big horse was at the track, including their trainers.

I would look at the thoroughbreds in the same way that I do today; for the most part I would look at the race horses with the well-groomed coats and brilliant coat color. I would look at their conformation and muscle structure along with the type of equipment they wore. I would watch their movement and personalities and how they would look walking around the paddock. If the horse was having a fit and acting like a lunatic I would count him out. Something was wrong. The relaxed and well-groomed horses stood out from the rest in my mind. I had the knack for studying a horse and knowing their abilities by their outer appearance. Then, and only then, would I open my program and mark what horses I wanted to wager on.

I began my riding career in 1992 at Louisiana Downs RaceTrack. After the Louisiana Downs meet I moved my tack to Miami's Gulfstream Park.
Not knowing a soul, I searched out an agent and began riding 30-1 or better horses. What an impact I made. These horses were winning and making me the leading apprentice at the meet. I then moved to Calder Racecourse where I again captured leading apprentice, all the while shipping to other nearby tracks such as Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah, and OTBS Sales Track. I again dominated as leading apprentice. I rode for all the big names and my career was on a high.

I decided to move my tack to Rockingham Park for a summer meet. I again captured leading apprentice. You could say I was an apprentice riding extroidinaire. I lost my apprentice allowance during the Rockingham Park meet. That didn't make a difference, as I continued to maintain fourth in the standings. Weight wasn't the favorable odd where I was involved. My talents as a Professional Jockey are what put me on the good horses.

We acquired Keith's services in 1997. His patience and stretch-drive-strength just stood alone. He has a clock in his head and knows where he is in a race at all times. He rarely can be found in a spot that gets a horse in trouble. He can ride on the lead and sit so quiet, just studying the horse, never looking back, all the while saving the horse for the stretch run. He never abuses a horse or asks a horse to run in a spot where it can get hurt. He has always put the horse's welfare first. He can take a horse back and sit so patiently and when they hit the stretch he moves through traffic with ease.

Keith has proven to be a valuable asset to our firm. He has grace, style, ability and strength, but above all, patience and kindness. During the last 3 years as a journeyman, Keith has won 7 handicaps on one horse, two stakes victories, 115 allowance races, and maintains an average 19% of being in the win-money with the horses he rides. He has a certain unexplainable talent with nervous horses and can take a rattled filly and finesse her to do exactly what he wants. Colts just power out their strengths under him, not forgetting to mention that most of his races have been won on colts.

Thoroughbred Jockey Keith Austin is an impeccable athlete and maintains top physical health. He works out daily on his equicizer developing and molding his skills to be the best that they can be. Here at the Horse Racing Firm, we are proud to have Keith Austin on our team.

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