Jockey David Cohen Back After Three-Year Hiatus

In the summer of 2012, jockey David Cohen appeared to reach the zenith of his relatively young racing career.

Riding the Ken McPeek-trained Golden Ticket  at odds of 33-1 for Magic City Thoroughbred Partners in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, Cohen literally scraped paint to find a seam inside of the pacesetter off the far turn and dashed down the stretch like a winner. Kiaran McLaughlin-trained 2-1 favorite Alpha , under the Godolphin royal blue silks, closed the gap at the wire, resulting in the only dead heat in the history of the storied race.

It was an ascension of sorts for Cohen, who had been finishing second to Alpha's jockey Ramon Dominguez in several Aqueduct Racetrack meet standings. Cohen had already taken down titles at Parx Racing and Delaware Park following a move from his home state of California. In 2009, he ranked sixth in the nation by number of winners.

Cohen fractured the tibia and fibia in his leg in February of 2014 at Aqueduct after being kicked by a horse in the paddock, forcing him away from the races for eight months. Ater a brief return and setback in October, he was sidelined again. The death of his father and sister further pushed back a comeback, until now. 

More than three years after he last rode in a race, Cohen piloted M & M Racing's Princess Dinah Nov. 30 in the fifth race at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots for trainer Robertino Diodoro. The pair finished fourth over sloppy conditions.

Diodoro said before the starter allowance/optional claiming event that he wished the distance was longer than 5 1/2 furlongs. Princess Dinah, a 6-year-old mare, made her first start for Diodoro after being claimed for $16,000 in her last start at Keeneland, where she finished a distant fifth going 6 1/2 furlongs.

Diodoro, who is fifth in the nation among trainers in wins this year, said Cohen has been working horses for him in the mornings at Evangeline Downs. 

"I really think he's in good shape," Diodoro said.

Cohen said "it felt pretty much like old times," a day after his first race back. "The horse got a little tired," he said. He added it didn't help that she had to deal with "mud getting thrown in her face.

"She made a good little run," he said.

Cohen, who now resides in Louisville, Ky. with his fiance Ashley, worked horses at Churchill Downs for a month before taking the next step in his comeback to Louisiana. Diodoro said Cohen has looked "very good" on his horses in the mornings, though he said it could take "a start or two" for Cohen to get back into his old rhythm. 

The trainer, a native of Canada, compared it to a hockey player practicing for a game. "You can practice all you want. It's a little different on game day." The two will team up again Dec. 2 with Two Gun Jak in a claiming event at Fair Grounds, the second race on the Saturday card.

The plan is for Cohen to ride at the Fair Grounds for the next month and then head to Oaklawn Park when it opens Jan. 12. He will also be riding for Diodoro at the Hot Springs, Ark. track.

"This is the first stepping point," said Cohen's agent Bill Castle, who previously handled his book. 

"I think he has quite a few guys in his corner," Diodoro said. "I think he's pretty pumped up."

Cohen said that when he initially returned to the races briefly in October of 2014, his leg wasn't completely healed. The death of his father Morry from cancer set him back further. Morry Cohen was a horse owner and breeder whom David considered his best friend. "We were inseparable," Cohen said. 

Cohen entered the horse racing business as a teenager through his father, learning the game from the bottom up by breaking his dad's young horses, working as a hot walker, trainer's assistant and groom. Cohen was also mentored by Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. 

The 32-year-old jockey said his leg is all better now and that his return to the races is going ahead of schedule.

"I'm just grateful to be able to make it back, God willing," he said.

McPeek still remembers Cohen's ride on Golden Ticket vividly. 

"He did a great job for me," McPeek said.

Golden Ticket, McPeek said, "needed a particular rider" that day. The Travers was the first time Cohen rode the horse.

"I gave him very specific instructions," McPeek recalled. "I told him to keep him inside, stay inside. Do everything in your power to keep position inside. He saved every inch of ground, snuck inside and won.

"I just hope he makes it back to where he was because he's certainly very talented," McPeek added.

Cohen, whose top mounts included 2006 Gulf News Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Proud Tower Too, said that the mental aspect of returning to racing was as important as the physical. 

"You have to be in the right mindset," he said. "I feel very fortunate and blessed."