Bailey will leave the saddle for analyst seat
Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey announced his retirement during a media teleconference Wednesday. The 48-year-old will conclude his career on January 28 at Gulfstream Park and will join ABC Sports and ESPN as a racing analyst in March. "I just really feel it's time," Bailey explained. "I want to walk away in one piece." One of the best ever in the saddle, Bailey started riding professionally in 1974, but his career took off in the early 1990s as his mounts exceeded $10 million in earnings for the first time in 1991. He went on to win a record seven Eclipse Awards and his 15 Breeders' Cup race wins, including five Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) victories, leads all riders. The native of Texas will walk away from the sport while still at top, capturing last season's Breeders' Cup Classic aboard Saint Liam and winning at a 25.8 percent clip, third best nationally, from all his mounts in 2005. Bailey said he considered announcing his retirement following the Breeders' Cup in late October but didn't want to rush his decision. He wanted to stop riding while he still had his good health and cited a desire to spend more time with his wife, Suzee, and son, Justin.
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A two-time Kentucky Derby (G1) and six-time Triple Crown race winner, Bailey
will always be remembered for partnering Cigar, who captivated the Thoroughbred
racing world during his 16-race win streak in 1994-96. He guided the two-time
Horse of the Year to a stirring victory in the inaugural running of the world's
richest race, the Dubai World Cup, an event he won a total of four times.
Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995, Bailey has won nearly 5,900 races, with
earnings of nearly $300 million.
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