Inside the Jockeys' Room with Smith and Talamo
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Joe Talamo and Mike Smith. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Jockeys Mike Smith and Joe Talamo take America's Best Racing's readers inside the jockeys' room in 2015. Hall of Famer Smith has more than 5,200 wins, including the 2005 Kentucky Derby, 1993 Preakness Stakes and 2010 and 2013 Belmont Stakes. He is also known for being the regular rider of multiple champion mare Zenyatta. Talamo was the 2007 Eclipse champion apprentice jockey and counts wins in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Clement L. Hirsch Stakes and the Santa Anita Derby among his more than 1,500 victories.
Throughout the series Smith and Talamo share insight into all kinds of questions including how they became jockeys, what goes on between races, whom they admire and what type of movies and fashion style they prefer.
In this edition of Inside the Jockeys' Room, we find out their favorite city, how many pairs of shoes they own and which of them recommends boxing for losing weight and building muscle.
Do you talk to other jockeys in between races? Is there much chatter among jockeys during a race? If so, can you give an example of some interesting chatter you’ve been involved with?
SMITH: Yes, we talk between races to other jocks. We are all in the same locker room, so we all talk and chat between races. We talk about all kinds of things. We do talk during races but it’s only to let someone know if we are inside of them or stuck in a spot. We let them know we are right there so they don’t try to come out and bump us. Stuff like that is all we talk about in a race.
TALAMO: I’m friends with a lot of the jockeys, but I don’t talk to them a lot about racing.
TALAMO, GARY STEVENS AND SMITH
Photo courtesy of Joe Talamo
Do you have any kind of rituals or superstitions before you race?
SMITH: The only ritual I have is I say a prayer.
TALAMO: Not really. I’m not very superstitious like some of the jockeys.
What is your most valuable racing advice?
SMITH: Don’t forget that everything you have is because of a horse, so treat them that way.
Why has winning the Triple Crown become so difficult? Can it be done?
SMITH: I think it can be done. We have been close a few times in the last few decades. It’s the hardest thing in sports, period. It would be like winning three Super Bowls in a row in one year. It’s just very, very hard.
TALAMO: It’s difficult to win the Triple Crown because horses must win three races, each a different distance, at a different track, in a very short amount of time. The Triple Crown is supposed to be difficult to win. It’s what makes it great. That said, it’s going to take an incredibly talented, and lucky, horse to win. I hope it happens though, and I think it will. Many horses have come extremely close. I don’t believe in changing the Triple Crown; no one wants an asterisk next to their name.
MIKE SMITH AFTER PALACE MALICE'S BELMONT STAKES WIN
Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
How often do you work out and what’s your favorite go-to exercise for staying in shape?
SMITH: Six days a week. I don’t have a favorite, I just think they are all necessary for me.
TALAMO: Riding horses every day is a very strenuous exercise, but I also do hot yoga and work out. Boxing is my favorite way to lose weight and build muscle. I also recommend burpees, which is a movement performed in four steps!
Favorite town/city in the world?
SMITH: Santa Fe
TALAMO: I absolutely love living in Monrovia, Calif. It’s close to so many things but still very quiet. Of course, I love New Orleans, Del Mar, and my girlfriend, and I really want to visit cities in Hong Kong again.
It’s your last drink and meal on earth. What will it be?
SMITH: A nice steak and a great glass of cab.
TALAMO: Steak from Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse and a nice glass of wine.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
SMITH: I’m not sure there is such a thing. I try to stay happy. I’m not sure if it’s perfect, but I’m happy. I think of the good more than the bad. What you practice is what you become.
TALAMO: Being content with myself.
Aside from a home or car, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?
SMITH: A painting from my Aunt Nedra’s Gallery in Santa Fe, the Nedra Matteucci Gallery.
TALAMO: Stock
How many pairs of shoes you own?
SMITH: Quite a few
TALAMO: Six
If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
SMITH: The same thing that I had done for the six months before I found out.
TALAMO: Travel with everyone in my family, and hopefully squeeze in a Kentucky Derby win.
Do you prefer the beach or mountains?
SMITH: Mountains
TALAMO: I love the beach, but I also love the serenity of being in the mountains.
Three magazines I subscribe to are …
TALAMO: … Money Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health
If I could guest star on any TV show it would be …
TALAMO: I was a guest on Conan O’Brien when he hosted “The Tonight Show.” I’ve never been more nervous for anything! It would be cool to do something like that again, but I’m not a good actor so I couldn’t be on a drama. People always tease me because I want to be on “Dancing With the Stars.”