Animal Planet's JOCKEYS Expanded to an Hour; New Series Airs Late Summer 2009

by Fran Jurga | 23 March 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Will Canadian jockey Chantal Sutherland find love and career success at Santa Anita? Animal Planet will continue to follow her romantic and equine exploits in an extension of the reality series JOCKEYS. Still unknown: why do so many jockey silks include those little bow ties? (Animal Planet photo)

Do you miss the thrills and spills (there certainly were a lot of those) of the Animal Planet reality series JOCKEYS? The inaugural run of the series ended March 13 but Animal Planet announced today that the filming will resume and that the episodes will be expanded to an hour each for the sophomore season.

Adding to the intrigue will be the addition to two very well known jockeys, Garrett Gomez and Corey Nakatani, who join California regulars Aaron Gryder, Mike Smith, Alex Solis, Kayla Stra, Chantal Sutherland and Joe Talamo. Original cast member John Court will not return, as he is relocating to Kentucky.

The freshman season brought Animal Planet viewers into the lives of jockeys who raced at the renowned Santa Anita Race Track during 2009's 30-day Oak Tree meet, the first racing done on the track's new Pro-Ride artificial surface.

The successful first season brought in more than 9.2 million unique viewers, so Animal Planet plans a quick followup second season order with seven hour-long episodes set to premiere late this summer.

This season, viewers also can expect to see more of professional handicapper Jimmy the Hat and West Coast Regional Manager of the Jockeys' Guild, Darrell Haire.

Let's hope they remember that the horses are the reason that many of us watched the series...and that the network is, after all, called "Animal" Planet. JOCKEYS gets ten bonus points and a gold star in my book for the links on its web site to CANTER and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

More mention of what becomes of the horses after the jockeys hop off for the last time would be a great addition to the series. At a track like Santa Anita, there's nowhere to go but down; horses that don't succeed there are dropped down in class to cheaper races at cheaper tracks. If one of the jockeys spoke out about Thoroughbred retirement and/or welfare issues in racing, this series would really win my heart. 

Likewise, the producers could find the horses that the jocks rode in the first series and ask "Where are they now?" I'd like to know, wouldn't you? Or is asking a reality show to have a conscience too much to ask?

Get Ready for JOCKEYS: Santa Anita Doc-Soap Reality Series Begins February 6 on Animal Planet

by Fran Jurga | 15 January 2009 | The Jurga Report on equisearch.com



What: "Jockeys" documentary/reality tv series
When: Friday nights in February, beginning February 6, at 9 PM ET/PT
Where: Animal Planet, found on most cable providers
Who: This cross-section of California Thoroughbred racing's colorful iron men and women is a docu-soap producer's dream, including this lineup, as described by the network:

•THE ICON – Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith is a living legend and a fan favorite. His fierce riding style and stringent pre-race ritual has earned him a shaman-like reputation among fellow jockeys.

•THE HOTSHOT – Joe Talamo may be young, but he already has taken the racing world by storm earning nearly $4 million in purse money in one racing season.

•THE BREAKOUT FEMALE STAR – Canadian jockey star Chantal Sutherland is a woman who’s dominating the tracks. And, because she’s dating fellow jockey Mike Smith, it puts her in competition with the man she loves. Can they make this work?

•THE WORKING MAN – Aaron Gryder is credited with more than 3,000 career wins and is motivated by supporting his family.

•THE ELDER STATESMAN – After racing more than 30 years, Jon Court is the consummate veteran, and he has no plans to quit.

•THE NEW GIRL – Fresh-faced Kayla Stra is racing gold in her native land of Australia, but only time will tell if she has what it takes to be a success in the US.

•THE COMEBACK KID – Alex Solis bounced back after a broken back injury nearly took his life. He’s been to the winner’s circle 4,000 times, but he’s yet to be inducted into the Jockey Hall of Fame.

For these jockeys, everything they have is riding on the 30 days of last fall's Oak Tree fall racing series at California's Santa Anita racetrack, which lead up to the two most important days of the entire racing year: The Breeders’ Cup.

But the real stars of the show are sure to be the horses, the danger, and the adrenalin that drive all toward the elusive finish line.

Whether you love racing or hate it, you must agree that the amazing atheletic ability of jockeys and the pressure they live under is the stuff of great drama, and it's doubtful the cameras will sugarcoat the grisly side of life at the track. It won't be all limousines and champagne.

The new synthetic racing surface just installed at Santa Anita was untested when the filming began. It was surely another challenge to the jockeys. The timing for the series to have been filmed is amazing.

Watch for more news about the series here on The Jurga Report. Bookmark this blog now, or click on the links on the right to subscribe to the RSS feed.

Jockey Alex Solis studies the facts and figures on his competition in the next race. (Animal Planet Photo)

Animal Planet Hero Awards Gone to the Dogs...and the Cats!

We had high hopes for two horse-related animal heroes who were nominated for the Animal Planet top awards for 2008, but the awards went instead to two very deserving dog and cat volunteers.

Here's the official press release from Animal Planet's publicity office:

Animal Planet and the makers of Fresh Step(R) litter announce Eileen McCaughern, of Bethany, Conn., as HERO OF THE YEAR in the third annual campaign recognizing people who have demonstrated extraordinary service for the welfare of animals.

Additionally, Jacci Moss from Defiance, Ohio has been named the CAT HERO OF THE YEAR.

"Animal Planet is proud to partner with Fresh Step litter to recognize the lives and work of Eileen McCaughern and Jacci Moss," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager, Animal Planet Media. "They are both true animal heroes who have vastly improved the lives of countless dogs and cats through their selfless and compassionate devotion."

Founder of Retired Greyhounds as Pets (REGAP) of Connecticut, Inc. and the country's first matching funds greyhound retirement home, Eileen, HERO OF THE YEAR, has dedicated the past 35 years to rescuing more than 5,000 of these beloved long-legged canines. REGAP is a non-profit organization devoted to educating the public about the joys of having greyhounds as companion animals and finding responsible, caring homes for as many retired racing greyhounds as possible. Eileen's dedication to greyhounds is obvious as she works a full-time job and two part-time jobs in order to defray the costs associated with rescuing greyhounds. Also, she recently opened a kennel with funding secured from state grants, local businesses, generous individuals and the American Greyhound Council.

"Greyhounds are so special and so deserving of enjoying their retirement as pets in wonderful homes after their racing careers have ended," says Eileen. "This honor will bring even more visibility to retired greyhounds, helping them find adoptive homes. Being Animal Planet's 2008 Hero of the Year is truly an incredible honor, and I am so proud it has been bestowed on me and the greyhounds."

As director of both Friends of Felines rescue center and Earth Angels low-cost spay/neuter clinic, CAT HERO OF THE YEAR Jacci works 18 hours a day caring for rescued cats and overseeing clinic operations. Her goals for the two organizations -- which are both located on her property -- are to place cats in permanent, loving, indoor homes and to reduce homelessness, abuse and euthanasia due to animal overpopulation.

Under Jacci's leadership, Friends of Felines (a non-profit, cage-free, no-kill facility) has found homes for more than 2,000 cats, and Earth Angels has spayed or neutered more than 7,500 cats and dogs. In addition to running these two organizations, she also fosters abused, ill or injured dogs and is actively involved in educating the public about pet overpopulation, animal adoption and proper pet care.

"I'm fortunate to be doing something for which I have a deep passion," says Jacci. "My volunteers and I give our whole hearts to these animals because we believe in what we're doing. I feel privileged to have been chosen for this award, which will be devoted entirely to promoting spays and neuters."

As HERO OF THE YEAR, Eileen will receive a $10,000 donation to her charity, REGAP of Connecticut, and a trip for two to her choice destination that supports an animal welfare cause.

The makers of Fresh Step(R) litter will reward Jacci, CAT HERO OF THE YEAR, with a $5,000 donation to her organization Earth Angels spay/neuter clinic.

This year's HERO OF THE YEAR and CAT HERO OF THE YEAR are being announced in conjunction with Animal Planet's HEROES WEEK, which begins Monday, December 8, with heroes programming airing each night from 10 to 11 PM (ET/PT).

Nominations for HERO OF THE YEAR and CAT HERO OF THE YEAR were accepted online at www.AnimalPlanet.com from March 31 through July 19, 2008, and Animal Planet received over 8,200 unique applications. Finalists were announced in August, then the public was invited to vote online for their favorite finalists during People's Choice Voting, which took place between September 29 and October 13, 2008.

Animal Planet Heroes: Will the Horse Heroes Win Tonight?

Tonight's the night! Animal Planet plans to announce the winner of the 2008 Animal Heroes award. Worthy nominees have been voted for by the network's viewers through a lengthy web site poll and should be announced at 10 p.m. tonight, December 11th.

Among the many deserving nominees are some faces and organizations that may be familiar to you. If not, you will surely be hearing more about them because of the honor of even making the final list of nominees.

Among the ten is Chris Dodge of the H.O.R.S.E. Sanctuary, a horse-aided therapy group in western New York that aims to help both horses and humans get a second chance for a better life. Chris is a volunteer's volunteer and nothing ever seems to come easily for H.O.R.S.E., although they have an unusual knack for turning their needs and hard work into great stories. One of my favorites is how two local members of a Girl Scout troop volunteered to help at the farm and ended up spearheading a massive effort to install year-round running water to the vast network of paddocks at the rescue site.

Chris has a kindred spirit (and fellow nominee) in California's Jill Starr of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue in Lancaster, California, a sanctuary for wild horses.

Jill's bio, as provided by Animal Planet, doesn't include one of her finest moments as an animaltarian. I had the privilege of getting to know Jill over the past few years when I found out that she stepped up as a somewhat anonymous donor back in the post-Katrina days, when so many animals needed help. Jill, along with the Humane Society of the United States, paid Louisiana State University's vet school hospital to perform the lifesaving amputation surgery on the now-famous therapy pony (then an abandoned hurricane victim), "Molly the Pony", who has hobbled forward into a new life as a symbol of hope for so many handicapped children, and the subject of a best-selling children's book now in its third printing in eight months. I first met Molly while writing about her for EQUUS magazine.

Chris and Jill were up against animal heroes from all walks of life and representing all species (even bats!). I am sure that all the nominees were deserving, but it was wonderful to see two familiar names on the list.

I hope you will join me and watch Animal Planet tonight, at 10 p.m. EST, to find out who won!