Wild Ride: Horse Racing and Superstitions

Story and photos by Hayley Morrison

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Just like any person, horsemen are creatures of habit and carry out a set of specific routines as they go about their day. Sometimes those routines border on the edge of disguise, hiding in the form of a superstition - a simple yet ominous word that racetrackers don’t like to hear or use.
 
By definition, the word superstition is defined as “an irrational fear of the unknown or mysterious.”
 
To horsemen, one of those irrational fears would include trimming a horse’s tail on a race day in fear of the horse losing by just a hair. Ironically, being wished good luck before a race might inherently bestow bad luck upon the receiver of the sentiment. Another strange belief is that taking a photo of a horse prior to a race will mysteriously jinx it from getting to the winner’s circle.
 
Interestingly, speaking about superstitions with several jockeys riding in this year’s Queen’s Plate yielded some pretty quirky responses and tidbits.
 
Jockey Jeffrey Alderson, who will pilot Angus Buntain’s trainee Krachenwagen in the Plate this coming Saturday admits he’s got a specific superstition relating to his riding boots.


 
“I have a red pair of boots and a black pair of boots. So I will use or start off with my black pair of boots and if I don’t come close or win a couple of races during the day then I’ll switch over to my red pair. If I’m luckier with that pair then I will continue wearing those for (well) it depends how long,” said Alderson who will look to secure a victory in his first ever Plate ride.
 
Meanwhile, Justin Stein, who returned to race riding this season, admits that he does have some quirky beliefs – even before heading into the jock’s room.
 
“Some superstitions that I have would be that I like to park in the exact same spot or relatively the same way every time when I go to the (jocks) room. I always back in, so I can drive out quick after the race.”
 
Stein who won the 2012 edition of the Plate aboard Strait of Dover will ride Mike De Paulo trainee Rising Star in this year’s historic race. Unlike some of his colleagues in the jock’s room, Stein does more readily believe in superstitions.
 
“I walk in the (jocks) room, headphones in, music on, mentally prepping myself so I don’t have to think about what I’m doing, I guess. Same shower, same urinal, same toilet, same bed - it is a superstition in a way. I try not to think (about) the mental aspect of it, it’s more of a fun thing for me…and it’s fun to be a little superstitious that way because maybe there is something out there. There is an energy in the universe - strange things happen and there’s something to do with a lot of luck in this game.”
 
Woodbine’s top jockey, Eurico Rosa Da Silva is set to ride Mark Casse trainee Skywire in the Plate. Unlike Alderson or Stein, he does not have any practices or fears of the unknown. 
 
“I’m not a superstitious person and I just do the same thing I do every time. I just keep focused and do my exercises and that’s it, nothing else,” said Da Silva who won back-to-back Queen’s Plate in 2009 with Eye of the Leopard and the following year with Big Red Mike.
 
Jockeys Rafael Hernandez and Luis Contreras are not superstitious, but both are spiritual.
 
“I always pray. I always ask God to take care of me. I know I’ve got my angels to take care of me. And I always tell him to be with me in the race, every moment and watch for me in every step. I feel like sometimes in every couple of races I ride I have a blessing, because I know he is next to me. He always helps me to do my best and help me to do everything,” said Hernandez who won the Plate in 2015 with Shaman Ghost.
 
This year, Hernandez has the mount on Rachel Halden trainee Pay for Peace. The dark bay gelding won the Plate Trial Stake a few weeks back.  
 
Meanwhile, one of Woodbine’s other top riders, Luis Contreras admits that he signs a cross before entering the racing gate.
 
“For racing, every single day in my first race I sign a cross just before I go to the gate and that kind of makes my day. And for every horse I ride I just paint a little cross on his or her neck or by their saddle. I do myself only for the first race, but I do it for every single horse I ride.”
 
Contreras is a seasoned rider when it comes to the Queen’s Plate, winning the 2011 edition with Inglorious and then the 2017 Plate with Holy Helena. Last year, he rode Aheadbyacentury to a runner-up finish. On Saturday he will be aboard Asmussen trainee Tone Broke, one of the several shippers for this year’s race.
 
Rider Alan Garcia reiterates similar sentiments to both Hernandez and Contreras.
 
“Nothing, only pray to God that everything goes well in the race and (I) leave the racetrack fine.”
 
Garcia will ride Kevin Attard’s trainee Jammin Still in the Plate.
 
Another jockey to veer away from using the term superstition is Jesse Campbell.
Although Campbell does admit to having a certain routine to prepare for the race-day ahead.
 
“I try to keep it at normal as possible, like my routine, everyone has their routines. Kind of my routine in the morning is I come in and go into the box for 15 minutes, shave, always eat a piece of toast and always take my vitamins. I always set my whips out and get my stuff ready for the day’s races. Usually the guys let their valets do it but it’s kind of my thing, it’s just like a nervous tick.”
 
Campbell rode Midnight Aria to victory in the 2013 edition of the Plate. Last year, he piloted Cooler Mike to a third-place finish in the race. This year he will be aboard Moon Swings, a chestnut gelding trained by De Paulo.
 
Regardless of whether he’s riding in a stakes race or not, Campbell acknowledges that he follows his routine every time he steps into the jock’s room.
 
“I always take a nap before I ride, no matter what. It’s really more a routine thing, just to get my mind - ‘it’s just another day, its just another race, that kind of thing.” Anything out of the normal, to me it’s all kind of bit superstitions. I really like the same routine, every day on a workday. I’m not like that on off days – I never take a nap or stuff like that. Really, the biggest thing that I do probably every race is sign a cross before I go in the gate and that is just without fail. I got to have my mouthpiece with me or I don’t feel right. It’s just little things like that. I mean you could label it superstitious if you want, but I try to get away from that and call it a routine, but you could call it a superstition.”
 
For veteran rider Patrick Husbands superstitions are not part of his riding regime. However, Husbands does have his own mental routine or practice leading up to a big race day.
 
“I like to hype myself up. You know just watch the races and then I just get a different vision. When it comes to big races I just get a different vision. It’s hard for me to explain to someone because that is my body. When you see a race or two or going into a big race – I know this part of the race where I’m supposed to, I know if my horse missed the break I know in the next ten strides I’ve got to be behind this horse. (Or) I know I can’t get stuck behind this horse. I’ve always got two plans into a race and that’s my hype. If I miss the break or this person rushes to come out, I always go to my second plan.”
 
The Barbadian jock has already captured a couple of Queen’s Plates; including a stellar victory in 2003 with Canadian Triple Crown champ Wando. In 2014, he rode Mark Casse’s champion filly Lexie Lou to victory in the race. This year, he will attempt a third win with Josie Carroll’s trainee He’s A Macho Man.
 
Desert Ride’s jockey Steven Bahen doesn’t believe in superstitions, but he still offered one quirky tidbit. “I don’t believe in bad luck, I just believe in good luck.”
 
Another veteran jockey in the game, Gary Boulanger mentioned in passing that he also had no real superstitions relating to his race day regime. Boulanger will be aboard Robert Barnett trainee Suitedconnected.
 
Both Bahen and Boulanger have been successful at capturing earlier editions of the big race. In 2001 Boulanger secured the Plate with Dancethruthedawn. A year later, Bahen scored a Plate victory with long shot TJ’s Lucky Moon.
 
Sovereign-Award winning apprentice jockey, Kazushi Kimura will be riding in his first Queen’s Plate. Kimura says he does sign a cross and thank God, but does not have any other specific rituals before riding. The continually improving rider has the mount on Kevin Attard’s trainee, Lucas n’ Lori.
 
All in all, the varied responses from each Woodbine-based jockey riding in this year’s Plate would suggest that while superstition is woven into the fabric of their daily routine, most if not all, tend to believe it’s simply a specific pre-race ritual that sets them about their work day.
 
Canadian Hall of Fame jockey and multiple Queen’s Plate winner Sandy Hawley doesn’t consider himself inherently superstitious but does admit to one quirky habit before he started out every race day.
 
“Actually, I used to always put my right boot on first. It’s funny because sometimes I’d go to try and put my left boot on and I would be like ‘what I’m I doing, I’ve got to put right boot on first.’ So I guess that was my superstition,” said Hawley, who won the Queen’s Plate, a record four times in 1970, 1971, 1975 and then again in 1978.
 
There’s no hard evidence to suggest Hawley’s pre-race ritual helped him capture any of those Plate victories, but maybe there’s something to be said about superstitions relating to riding boots.
 
As it stands, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether Alderson starts off the day on a winning note with his black boots, or if he opts to trot out the red-trimmed boots when piloting Krachenwagen from the gates in Saturday’s historic race.
 
Post time for this year’s Queen’s Plate is 5:36 p.m.
 

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