Shane Sellers' book a KY Derby eye opener

[MO]

I got my copy of Freedoms Rein  this week and devoured it in less than 8 hours. Chapter 20 is particularly interesting in that he talks about what jockeys have to put up with when they are scheduled to ride in the KY Derby.

\"....We all knew that anyone who placed 4th through last would get a small check that hardly made a dent in the expenses we had to pay for the privelege to ride. Not only did we have to buy tickets for our families, but our families got the worst seats at the track. They were thrown into a small area  right behind the winners circle which consisted of 100 iron folding chairs. Kelli (Shane\'s wife) even remembers one year when Jerry Baily\'s wife had to sit on a trash can while he won the Derby on Grindstones (sic). How ironic that they treated us like garbage and then they made our wives sit on it.............


.......When the races ended, anyone who placed 4th through last got a $100 check, which then became $60 after the agents and valets were paid. for the majority of us, that meant we had to pay about $940 for us and our families to be treated like trash.\"

I can relate personally to Churchills antics. In 1997, I was hired over the phone to be their bugler after they gushed over my audition tape. I was told I had to show up for an \"in person audition\" (it was all a formality I was assured). Well, after driving 1500 miles from Albuquerque to Louisville and showing up at the prescribed time I was told \"Audition\'s over, we already hired someone\". Then I was told by Meeker that I would not be reimbursed for my (wasted) travel expenses. Thanks a lot, Tom!!!


Yes, there are some errors in spelling and grammer in this book, but it is an interesting read. Highly recommended.

[xichibanx]

MO,

Where is this book available?  I did not see it on Barnes and Noble.

Thanks.

[MO]

Here\'s the link:

http://www.freedomsrein.com/main.php?sectionID=0&articleID=3&action=details

[sekrah]

Wah-Wah.

Nobody forced you to become a jockey Shane.  If it\'s so horrible, find another profession.