'Grandpa' jockey seeks history, aims to become oldest to win Kentucky Derby
Mike Smith, 59, is in position to become the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby when he rides So Happy Saturday, May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Mike Smith is 59, which has not escaped the attention of his colleagues. Some of them call him grandpa, according to Smith. “I get it all, man,’’ he said, but added, “At my age, I'm still doing the things I was doing when I was 30, man.
It's crazy. ’’ Smith, a two-time winner in the Kentucky Derby , will be in position to become the oldest jockey to win the race Saturday, May 2 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The late Willie Shoemaker was 54 when he rode Ferdinand to victory in the 1986 Kentucky Derby and he remains the oldest jockey to win the race.
Smith, who was 52 when he won the race in 2018, is no long shot to break Shoemaker’s record. Smith will be riding So Happy, who’s 7-1 . Trainer Mark Glatt could have chosen a talented jockey half Smith’s age, but apparently, it was never a consideration with the horse and Smith based in Southern California.
Smith also happens to be a Hall-of-Famer. Kentucky Derby contender: So Happy is the Kentucky Derby horse worth cheering for this year “He keeps himself in prime condition,’’ Glatt said. “And especially in a race like the Derby, how do you replace the experience that a rider like Mike Smith has?