Jockey calendar showcases riders in a different way

Photographer Barbara Livingston is used to taking shots of jockeys in

action, but for the 2012 Thoroughbred Jockey Calendar the Eclipse Award

winner focused on something else entirely: the conditioned and fit

physique of those in charge of piloting their equine co-stars.

In an attempt to offer up a different side of horse racing, 12 top

jockeys stepped up to the challenge of turning model for a day.

Calvin Borel, Shaun Bridgmohan, Javier Castellano, Kent Desormeaux,

Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez, Channing Hill, Julien Leparoux, Edgar

Prado, Mike Smith, Terry Thompson and John Velazquez all posed, some

with out shirts, to both promote the sport of horse racing and raise

money for a good cause. A portion of the proceeds will go to the

Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF).

The calendar was the brainchild of

Christine Sabia, president of Black Liner Productions, a marketing firm located

in Connecticut. Sabia felt there was not enough focus on the jockeys as

athletes, so she teamed with Livingston, a two-time Eclipse Award

winner and one of America's most highly regarded racing photographers, to shoot

the photos.

"Generally it's all about the horses, but to us, the jockeys and the

horses work as a team," Sabia explained.

Sabia asked Desormeaux, a friend and client, to help make the calendar

happen.