Michael, you make a lot of comments about jockeys. Do you really believe they can significantly speed up or slow down a horse?

There are jockeys that do certain things well or certain things badly, but to some degree, the guys riding the top horses are the product of self-fulfilling prophecy. Bailey gets the best horses to choose from. If you get to ride the best horses Bill Mott trains and your choice is between that and riding a powerhouse from Coolmore, you stand a better chance of winning than the guy choosing between Wendel and Brida. At any meet, there are four or five guys everybody wants. Periodically someone emerges from the pack.

Jockeys are a side dish, not a main course. Some are better than others. In certain situations they are more of a factor. I've seen Noel Wynter running away by ten lengths on an Allen Jerkens horse enough to know that the horse running a zero has very little to do with who's riding. The big jockeys kill your prices, period. All these comments on Bailey and Velazquez are not up to your usual high standards. HP