Hall of Fame rider Pat Day ended his 32-year career as a jockey on Thursday,
making the announcement at a press conference at Churchill Downs. He is planning
on spending his time working with the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America (RTCA), a
national organization of chaplains from U.S. racetracks that serves the
spiritual, physical, emotional and social/educational needs of the workforce at
those tracks.
Day returned to riding in May following hip surgery in late March, and
recently took a break to reflect on his career and future while staying at a
friend’s cabin on the Kentucky River. He returned from that solitary trip with
the decision to end his riding career.
“Over the last 21 years He has not failed to direct me in the proper way and
I trust that He’s not directing me in the wrong way this time,” Day said. “I
just got alone with God and came away from there feeling very strongly that it
was time to retire from riding and become a little more active in the ministry.
“At this juncture, I’m not being called to leave the industry — I’m just
giving up my tack. I’m no longer participating as a jockey, but I will still be
involved in the racing industry. Though I might not be seen and as visible as I
once was, I’m still hopefully going to be a positive contributing part of the
community.”
Day ends his career having scored 8,803 victories and earnings of
$297,912,019. He ranks behind only Laffit Pincay Jr., Russell Baze and William
Shoemaker on the list of leading jockeys in career wins and leads the career
earnings list. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1991 and has won
the Eclipse Award four times. The 51-year-old is the only North American jockey
to ride eight winners from nine mounts on one card and was honored with the
George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1985.
“The major factor was just a loss of enthusiasm,” Day said. “In early March,
we discovered the problem with my hip and it was correctible, and that kind of
pumped new blood in me. Then there was the challenge to get through the
operation and rehab and it was followed by the challenge to get back to riding,
and that was decidedly rewarding.
“But I’ve discovered that the challenge to get back was more enjoyable than
getting back. It became apparent to me that the joy of participating and the
thrill of victory had sort of lost its luster.”
Day started a tour of racetracks last year to help promote the RTCA and
wonders if perhaps he wasn’t receiving a sign to end his storied career at that
time.
“In thinking about it, I think I really got the nod from God last July,” he
said. “When I got the urging from God to embark on that tour, I failed to get
all the directions. And I really think that, had I done that, that possibly what
the Lord had in store was a farewell tour at that time. Not just a tour to
evangelize and bolster the racetrack ministry, but a farewell tour in a sense.”
Some of Day’s biggest wins came on Breeders’ Cup day, as he captured 12 of
the championship events, including the inaugural running of the Classic (G1) in
1984 with Wild Again. However, the one victory he remembers most fondly came at
Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May of 1992.
“Lil E. Tee in the Derby (G1) stands out above all of them,” Day said.
“That’s just the race of races. Of all the races that I’ve been blessed with the
opportunity to win, the thrill of winning them pales in comparison to the joy
of winning the Derby. That race certainly is the cornerstone.”