At 58, accomplished jockey Court still pursuing Derby dream

Jockey Jon Court is going to have to reward his mother a pretty penny if Long Range Toddy wins the $3 million Kentucky Derby next Saturday.

Court, 58, is the oldest rider ever to have a mount in the 145-year-old classic, eclipsing the record of 57 set by jockey Bobby Baird in 1978, according to Churchill Downs.

Court’s longevity in the saddle – he rode his first winner in 1980 – can be attributed in part to the influence of his mother, Pam. She taught her children to be proactive in their health. Court long has done so, and four years ago began taking a supplement that he says works with the body’s DNA to reduce oxidative stress. He calls it a “vitamin for the gene pool.”

“I’ve always tried to stay in front and pay attention to health, wellness, and longevity and being able to sustain your health,” Court said. “But not just your health but cognitive function, recovery, alertness, reflexes, and things of that nature.

“My mother was my hero in that. She was always all about it. She’d make you take stuff that tastes terrible! But here in her 80s, she’s still as active as ever.”

Long Range Toddy earned his spot in the Kentucky Derby on March 16, when he rallied for a neck win over Improbable in a division of the Grade 2, $750,000 Rebel at Oaklawn. It was the first time Court had teamed with Long Range Toddy. He secured the mount on the Steve Asmussen trainee because of his long relationship with Long Range Toddy’s breeder and owner, Willis Horton.

“I’ve always had good luck with Jon,” Horton said. “I’ve used him for years, and he’s done a good job with Toddy.

“He’s a person that’s got all kinds of experience – he’s been through the bad and the good – and I just feel like he plays my kind of race. I love the way he rides.”

Horton, who put Court on champion Will Take Charge, said he was “tickled” with how the rider handled Long Range Toddy in the Rebel. Long Range Toddy settled a little farther off the pace than usual and ran down Improbable.

“I was fortunate to work him one morning, and we worked him slow, in a comfortable way, to get familiar with the horse,” Court said. “Rolling into the Rebel, after studying film and past performances, I just basically decided, along with the Hortons and Steve, what type of strategy we’d like to see unfold, and fortunately for us, it did unfold pretty much textbook style.”

The trip was not as favorable in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby, in which Long Range Toddy finished sixth to Omaha Beach and runner-up Improbable on April 13.

“It was a muddy track, and he came from the outside post,” Court said, “and I had to kind of force the pace a little to get in a position, which we were able to do. But at the same time, I don’t think things fell into place that were as beneficial for us as it was for Omaha Beach and Improbable.”

Court said Long Range Toddy brings a number of assets into the Kentucky Derby.

“He’s got a natural, tactical speed, which allows me to place him if all goes well when the gate opens,” he said. “And he’s smart and intelligent enough that I can settle him where I think we need to be, and from there on, just look for a course that would be efficient energy around there, not get in any traffic trouble or have to alter him in any way.”

Long Range Toddy will be Court’s fourth mount in the Kentucky Derby, and all have come after the age of 50: Archarcharch (15th in 2011), Optimizer (ninth in 2012), and Will Take Charge (eighth in 2013).

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Court is a winner of 4,148 races and has mount earnings of $105 million. He’s won more than 60 graded stakes, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form, and his long list of stakes winners includes Wise Dan, Leroidesanimaux, Cambiocorsa, Fleetstreet Dancer, Line of David, Downthedustyroad, and Frivolous. Court also cofounded the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

Court pursued the sport on his own, first taking an interest in the retired racehorses training for new careers near his childhood home outside of Orlando, Fla.

“I was enamored by the Thoroughbreds, by their endurance, stamina, and the longevity of the race,” Court said. “I started getting on horses, going over a few jumps, but I really wanted to get into the training side of it, and when I was barely old enough to drive I would go over to some of the farms that had racehorses. . . . When I came to the racetrack, I was already a gallop boy.”

Court has an opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream of winning the Kentucky Derby. If he does, he will eclipse another age-related record kept by Churchill. Bill Shoemaker in 1986 became the oldest rider to win the classic, at 54 aboard Ferdinand.

“The fact that I could win the Derby at this age, at this stage in my career, is extremely exciting,” Court said. “I’m just living the dream. It’s an exciting thing to experience – every day that I’m getting closer to the Kentucky Derby.”