Racing’s most unusual, inspiring reunion will take place at Canterbury Park Saturday evening, when the yin and yang of the riding profession gathers to celebrate the fifth annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser.Careers in the saddle come with no guarantee for success, longevity, or even physical survival, and no gathering underlines this reality with more striking visual aids. A dozen members of the Thoroughbred racing Hall of Fame will share the event’s spotlight with a group of riders who reached for the same brass ring, only to crash tragically and eventually rise again with a much different future in store.This is where the brief editorial starts, decrying the fact that Thoroughbred racing has no industry-funded means for the long-term support of jockeys who have been permanently disabled in racing or training accidents at licensed racetracks and authorized parimutuel meetings, where the efforts of those riders goes directly toward the bottom line of the business enterprise. Workers’ comp is offered in only a smattering of states. The Jockeys’ Guild has negotiated limited medical coverage with individual track managements, but that money eventually runs dry. The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund is a private group with broad industry encouragement. And yet, even the PDJF must go hat in hand for donations, fundraisers, and the ongoing support of individual angels in order to provide more than 60 former riders with the $1,000 per month stipend that goes toward life’s very necessities.The retired rider Barry Pearl was inspired to create Jockeys and Jeans five years ago and launch the event at Tampa Bay Downs. Active riders like Mike Smith, hero of this year’s Triple Crown, and Joe Bravo, winner of the 2018 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, have signed on as ambassadors. The event has turned into a moveable feast, with subsequent renewals at Gulfstream Park, Parx Racing, Indiana Grand, and now Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., outside of Minneapolis.“One hundred percent of what we raise goes to the PDJF,” Pearl said this week before heading north from his Florida home. “And I’ve got to say that the Thoroughbred breeding community has really reached out to support us.”For its part, Canterbury Park has pulled out all the stops for Jockeys and Jeans, placing it smack in the middle of its best night of racing. Five stakes are carded Saturday, topped by the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby. First post is 6 p.m., Central Daylight.“The people at Canterbury have been great,” Pearl said. “They’re making us feel very welcome, and they know how to bring in a crowd.”The evening will include an auction of racing souvenirs and memorabilia, with online bidding already underway for items such as halters worn by American Pharoah and California Chrome. Caton Bredar, one of racing’s most popular broadcast analysts, will appear as emcee for the event, which is only right. Her grandfather was Hall of Fame jockey Ted Atkinson.As the name connotes, attire for Jockeys and Jeans is very casual, except for the distinct flourish of the Hall of Fame blue blazers worn atop well-creased denims. Those in attendance Saturday night will be able to press the flesh of hands that have touched many of the greatest performers in the history of the sport.Want to know what it was like to sit atop Easy Goer or Lady’s Secret? Pat Day can tell you. How did perfection feel while riding Personal Ensign? Go ask Randy Romero. For kicks, get Chris McCarron and Laffit Pincay talking about their experiences with John Henry. And then, for dessert, put Steve Cauthen and Jorge Velasquez on the spot for one more reminiscence of Affirmed and Alydar, and their momentous Triple Crown.“Gentleman” John Rotz and Manny Ycaza both rode the wind aboard Dr. Fager. Sandy Hawley, the pride of Canada, will be there with tales of his four Queen’s Plates. So will Don Pierce and Bobby Ussery, Oklahoma boys who made good, and Earlie Fires, who rode for 44 years and didn’t quit until he’d won more than 6,400 races.For all their accomplishments, the dozen Hall of Famers will defer to the real guests of honor, some seated, some in leg braces, seven survivors who are proud to be a part of the evening.Armando Rivera was 19 when he emerged paralyzed from a training accident at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in 1979. Jayme LaRocca was 19 when he fell at Charles Town in West Virginia in 1982. Roger Blanco was 23 when went down in 1988 at Monmouth Park.Tad Leggett made it to 45 before he was hurt in a Quarter Horse race at Fair Meadows in 2010. Ann Von Rosen was 43 when her Quarter Horse fell pulling up after a race at Turf Paradise in 2014. Gary Birzer was 29 when his riding career ended at Mountaineer Park in 2004. And the man in the mouth-controlled wheelchair, sipping and puffing his way around the room, will be Paul Nolan, a Canterbury favorite, who made it through an international career of 25 years before he was hurt at Will Rogers Downs in April of 2017.“These aren’t handicapped riders,” Pearl said. “We call them the fallen. We owe them all the help and acknowledgement possible.“Jockeys and Jeans has raised over $700,000 so far,” Pearl added. “A million is in sight. Wouldn’t it be something if we can hit it Saturday night?”