Scott Spieth is a quiet bundle of energy. Sure, he comes off as good nature guy who’s all handshakes and smiles. But get him in a race and he becomes as formidable and intimidating as the thoroughbred he rides. We caught up to Scott mere moments after he won the 3rd race that evening at Erie Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle Downs.
TrackPack: Wow, Scott congratulations! That was a great race. So tell us, how does it feel to win?
Scott Spieth: Anytime you win it’s exciting. It’s a real rush. In our business there’s so many highs and lows – so you come to appreciate the highs, like this win.
Nah, not frightening! Thrilling is the word I would use.
- Scott Spieth, Jockey
TP: Was this win as exciting as the others?
SS: Every win is exciting. Of course, some races have higher stakes, bigger purses and more pressure. But you want to win them all.
TP: Interesting. Do you think you’re going to win every race?
SS: Well you go into every race with a positive attitude. But you do know the horse you’re on [and] the ones on either side of you. Often a horse you think won’t do well will surprise you. So you approach every race the same – to win.
TP: Give us the stats.
SS: 5’7”, 112 lbs, 43 years old.
TP: Do you have to rigorously maintain your weight? We heard you were in the sweat box.
SS: When I was in college I was 130, so I have to make weight every race. For me, the sweat box is just to loosen up, not to shed pounds.
TP: Did you grow up around horses?
SS:I was barrel racing (ed. note: that means racing horses in a slalom between barrels.) at age 5. When I was 13, my older brother wanted to be a trainer and I rode the horses for him.
TP: So you always wanted to be a Jockey, right?
SS: Jockey or a doctor. I was going to go to med school. But the horses won out.
TP: It looks very frightening to be up on an 1,100 lb horse!
SS: Nah, not frightening! Thrilling is the word I would use. By the time you get into a race, you’ve been around horses a long time.
TP: Do you have to pass some sort of test to ride?
SS: You need recommendations by trainers and the stewards on the track. They need to see you get out of the gates cleanly a number of times during training runs. Only then will you get the OK to race professionally.
TP: Where you do call home?
SS: I’m based in Erie for the summer. For the winters I go down to West Virginia and race the circuit down there.
TP: When you’re not racing do you hang with the other jockeys?
SS: We’re a pretty close-knit family. We do a lot of stuff together – even carpool to the track.
TP: So let us in on some inside info. What can I look for in a horse when he’s out in the paddock? Do they have the "Eye of the Tiger?”
SS: You’re looking for their gait. For their confidence. You don’t want to pick one that looks sweaty and nervous.
TP: But if you’re on a jittery one, what do you do?
SS: We try to settle them... you work with them to calm ‘em.
TP: So how long do you think you’ll stay in the saddle?
SS: (Laughs) I think I still have some good years in the tank. I have 5 kids – so I’ll probably have to be at it till I’m 50!! Seriously though... it’s a great sport. If you treat racing right, racing will treat you right.
Now that’s horse sense if we ever heard it!
