Hall of Fame Friends for Life

It was a typical day at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 7 for jockey agent Steve Rushing. He just completed the draw for entries, and his rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., won yet another race to lengthen his lead in the standings, en route to a likely second-consecutive riding title at the elite meet.

But there was something weighing on Rushing's mind that hot summer afternoon that had nothing to do with Ortiz, who currently leads the nation in money won. Rushing, 52, was contemplating a speech he hadn't yet written—the one that will serve as an introduction to former jockey Ramon Dominguez's inclusion into racing's Hall of Fame Aug. 12.

A team for 13 years, first in Maryland and then New York, until Dominguez's career-ending injury in 2013, Rushing and Dominguez were a formidable duo. The rider earned three consecutive Eclipse Awards (2010-12) while with Rushing, and added a considerable amount of wins to his career total, which was just 15 shy of 5,000 at the time of his retirement.

When Dominguez, 39, approached Rushing this past spring about introducing him at the Hall of Fame ceremonies, the agent was extremely touched, albeit a tad nervous.

"Foremost, I was very honored and grateful, but at the same time I told him, 'I'm such a chicken about standing up in front of people and speaking,'" Rushing said. "I told Ramon I had to think about it, but I was just messing with him. I planned on doing it the whole time. I told him that my daughter wanted me to go to her seventh-grade career day, and that if I couldn't speak in front of 30 seventh graders, how was I going to do it in front of all those people that will be at the Hall of Fame ceremony?

"I'm not too good of a public speaker. ... I won't be able to put into words how I really feel."

Trepidation for public speaking notwithstanding, Rushing's affection for Dominguez comes without reserve. Their relationship was business-based to start, but it was only a matter of time before the agent realized the rider had much more to offer out of the saddle.

"I learned really quick that he was pretty special. Ramon has a great heart. He's a great human being," Rushing said. "I tell everybody this—he's a world-class rider, but even a better person. He's just a genuine person. He is so humble."

The feeling is mutual.

"Steve is someone who will always be a great friend. ... an amazing one," said Dominguez, five days before his Hall of Fame induction. "He is someone I know I can always count on, and vice-versa. He's somebody whose company you can enjoy, because it is never about him. He's always present—enjoying the moment—and makes you feel good because he is so real. Anyone, regardless of personality—reserved or outgoing—will enjoy Steve's company because of who he is. It's hard not to like him.

"I was so blessed to have had him as my agent," he added. "It's one thing to have someone who is as good as Steve is professionally, but as an individual—with the values he has—it was a pleasure to be around him when I was riding. He is someone with a lot of integrity. In the position we were in, with a lot business, it was fascinating for me to see how respectful he was of others, whether it was other agents or jockeys. Steve never crossed the line to say or do something that was detrimental to someone else's business. He was there to win, but at the same time, he was never there to put himself first, which is not easy."

Even if Rushing doesn't put himself first, he has a knack for putting his riders on top. Before Dominguez, there was Hall of Famer and Eclipse Award winner Edgar Prado. Now there is Ortiz, who turned 24 Aug. 11 and is enjoying a 2016 season that could earn him his first Eclipse Award.

"I was very fortunate for so many years to have a rider of that caliber in Edgar, and then to get someone like Ramon—two riders like that, never mind three with Irad—I never dreamt that I would be in that position. I'm so grateful," Rushing said. 

"I love (Irad's) enthusiasm," he added. "He's always smiling and in a great mood all of the time. ... he's so full of life and energetic. He smiles all the time. Everything is fun."

On and off the track, Rushing and Dominguez have had their share of good times, including many get-togethers that were personal in nature. Dominguez is the godfather to Rushing's daughter Kylie. When Rushing and his wife, Tonya, renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas a few years ago, standing at their side were Dominguez and his wife Sharon.  

On the afternoon of Jan. 18, 2013, at Aqueduct Racetrack, Dominguez suffered severe head trauma, when his mount Convocation clipped heels with another horse and hurled the rider to ground, where he was struck by another horse.

"I was actually on my way back home to my family in Maryland," Rushing recalled. "I saw the race on my iPad, and somebody said Ramon had gotten up and was on his feet, so I continued driving. I talked to Sharon and she said she had this weird feeling because Ramon always called her (after a spill), and he hadn't. I told her I was sure he was OK. Maybe he just didn't have access to a phone."

But Rushing's reassurances did not have a calming effect on Sharon Dominguez, whose spousal instincts would prove to be spot-on.

"Sharon called me a little bit later and told me how bad it was. I actually got sick to my stomach. ... I had to pull over to the side of the road, and made a call to my wife," the agent said. "It was just so surreal. I couldn't believe it. It took me a while to compose myself. It was something you didn't want to accept, so it didn't feel like it was happening."

Dominguez was delivered unthinkable news by doctors in late-spring of 2013—the severe nature of his injuries would require him to retire. When Dominguez told Rushing, the agent said the despair he felt for his friend was palpable.

"He told me to come into the house, and I could just tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong, but I still didn't expect that," Rushing said. "We sat down on the couch and he told me, and it was just overwhelming. I felt so bad and so sad for him."

But for Rushing, Aug. 12 is a day for celebration, not sorrow. It's a time to revel in the achievements he and Dominguez shared as team. More importantly, it's an opportunity for the agent to tell others what their friendship means to him.

And even if he does't believe it, he will find the right words.