Olesiak brothers finding success in Nebraska

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Brothers Jordan and Jake Olesiak represent the sixth generation of racing in their family and have been racing horses together since their childhood in Cloquet, Minn.

Jordan, 26, rode on the Nebraska circuit as a regular last year and now holds a sizable lead in the Fonner Park rider standings with 35 wins from 181 mounts. Jake, 22, has ridden here on limited occasions in recent years and is currently fifth in the standings with 19 wins from 158 mounts. The brothers plan to continue on to Lincoln this summer, while also picking up rides at Canterbury Park and Prairie Meadows on dark days.

Combining for 54 wins between them this meet, the brothers can often be seen having a conversation about a race while coming back to unsaddle.

"We both like to see each other do good," Jordan said by phone Tuesday morning. "We talk about how the race unfolded, what we could have done better or differently. We're so competitive, you try to win as many as possible."

Jake has won the past three riding titles at North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo, while Jordan claimed the title the year before Jake's string began. Jordan also is an accomplished trainer, with 75 wins from 1,076 starts.

"I've trained in Arizona, Ohio, and West Virginia," Jordan said. "I've been pretty lucky."

The two are nearly even in career wins aboard Thoroughbreds. Jordan surpassed Jake during this meet and has 189 career wins, while Jake has 184. Adding in Quarter Horses, Jake has a career total of 337 wins in a career that spans began in 2003. Jordan has 208 total career wins from a career that started in 2002 at Remington Park.

"It's a good competition," Jordan said, "If I don't win, I want him to."

* Jody Scott's comeback as a rider came to a sudden end after her first day back in the saddle last Friday. Scott, who formerly rode as Jody Coughlin, was seriously injured in an auto accident Saturday morning coming to the track and is hospitalized at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Neb., with a fractured pelvis and internal injuries. Scott had not ridden competitively since 1994.