Want to be a Jockey’s agent?

It has been quite some time since I have posted a title that starts with “Want to be a”…last one was Want to be a Coach’s agent?  Anyway, today I will focus on a sport that is not discussed much on this blog, which is horse racing.  Horse racing, unlike boxing, seems to have enough of a following that it will never die in America. Is there really a need for agents, though?

Apparently there is…but maybe only for the superstars.  Just ask Calvin Borel, jockey for the Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense.  Last week you did not know him, this week he was dining with President Bush.  Deciding to be a jockey agent can be some risky business, but deciding to be an agent in general is quite risky.  There has got to be a lot less agents going after jockeys than there are agents looking for football players to represent.

Before his big win, Borel was represented by a long-time friend: Jerry Hissam.  It seems like Hissam cannot handle the duty of being the main guy, and Borel may now be looking for a seasoned sports agent to take over the job [Exhausted Calvin Borel thankful to be back riding after Derby win].  There really is no difference between the reason why a football player needs an agent and a jockey needs an agent; both need to remain focused on what got them to their position and need to have the freedom to continue to excel.  Borel is looking to win the Preakness, and possibly the Triple Crown.  If a sports agent will help him avoid the media enough to train Street Sense to pull of the feat, then a sports agent should be signed.  Do I hear percentage on endorsements?

-Darren Heitner