The Jockey

[Calzone Lord]

The story of Ron Franklin, the 19-year-old who rode Spectacular Bid through the '79 Triple Crown series - might make for an interesting movie.

Some interesting quotes from '79 Beyer columns:

After the Florida Derby:

Spectacular Bid proved Tuesday that he could overcome the worst sort of adversity. He overcame his jockey Ron Franklin.

Franklin's dreadful ride was not unprecedented. Last year, as an apprentice, he contributed heavily to Spectacular Bid's only two defeats.

After Ron Franklin was busted for doing cocaine in the parking lot of Disney Land nine days after he lost the Belmont:

Ron Franklin's job as the rider of Spectacular Bid brought him a year of fame and success which he never earned. Suddenly, fate has turned the tables

Franklin had displayed little ability and aptitude when he started riding for Delp last year. But the trainer liked him, took him into his home, and reffered to Franlin as his "third son." So, even though he was barely competent to ride in run-of-the-mill races at Pimlico, Franklin found himself placed under the extreme pressure of the triple crown

Franklin's misadventures in just the five week window after his Kentucky Derby win through his Belmont defeat:

Fined for kicking a horse at Pimlico after losing a race

Fined for cursing a Pimlico security guard who asked to see his ID badge

Fined after he got into a fight with Angel Cordero in the Belmont Park jockeys room the week of the Belmont Stakes

One day before the Belmont, he was named in a paternity suit by a waitress who said he fathered her 5-month old child

Finishes 3rd in the Belmont. One of the most bizarre rides I've ever seen in a big race. Franklin guns Spectacular Bid into a speed duel with a 90/1 hard ridden longshot over a dull racetrack. The opening fractions that Bid and Gallant Best battled through in the Belmont were 23 2/5 and 47 3/5th around a turn - earlier on in the day - in a one-turn mile race - that seasons champion sprinter Star De Naskra (he wired the 7f Carter last out) battled with Darby Creek Road (DCR still holds the 7f track record at Saratoga to this day - and was stretching out off of a 6f race) .. through fractions of 23 4/5 and 46 3/5 running a straight line in a one-turn mile.

Nine days later, Franklin gets busted for snorting coke in the Disney parking lot.

Pretty wild six week stretch for a teenager I would say.

Things didn't get much better for Franklin later on in life. At an age when most jockeys are in the prime of their career - Franklin was struggling to get by while riding at Fairmount Park. (Is Fairmount in Missouri or Illonois?) Franklin got busted "for trying to buy cocaine in the mail" and eventually lost his jocks license in '92. Looking through the Champions book - I didn't notice his name at any point - on any other champion.

It's kind of like Mickey Ward's story from The Fighter ... except - in reverse. Only other difference is that Franklin seems more like Micky Ward's brother. Obviously - it would also make a cool story because such a great horse would be involved - and because Delp is often portrayed as a beer drinking big-mouth who racked up some cool fines for bad behavior in the same five week span in '79 (including one for beating up an excersize rider and another for threatening a security guard)

[Travis Stone]

Last I heard he was working at a training center in south Louisiana. A writer called me at LAD and asked for help tracking him down.

Bad rides cost us three Triple Crown winners at least. Real Quiet, Smarty Jones and Spectacular Bid...

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

Bad rides cost us three Triple Crown winners at least. Real Quiet, Smarty Jones and Spectacular Bid...

Real Quiet and Smarty Jones were both very well ridden in the Belmont IMO.

Had I trained Real Quiet - I would have defended that ride to the hills.

Look at the Moss pace figures - Real Quiet ran outright faster for 8fs on them than any horse in the Derby since '91 including Congaree and Unbridled's Song. Look at who Real Quiet's best progeny are - Closing sprinters like Midnight Lute and Pussycat Doll.

Desormeaux was moving his hands on Real Quiet every step of the way because that's how he was ridden in all of his good races - and it's how he wasn't ridden in the countless races where he ran like total dogsh!t.

Real Quiet didn't blow open the race on the far turn in the Belmont because of anything Desormeaux did - he blew open the lead because he had been running spectacularly fast through that stage of his prior races - and Grand Slam and Chilito stopping only added to the image.

I suppose Desormeaux could have tried to ride him like Jose Santos did so many turf horses - and keep a choke hold on him until Victory Gallop gets along side and than try to spurt away from VG. I'm not sure that would have worked any better.


As for Smarty Jones - what could Elliot have done different? Let Rock Hard Ten go in the middle of the race? In hindsight, obviously that would have been the right move, but RHT was seemingly the only horse to beat... and to just invite him past you with an inside move would have made Elliot look bad had RHT won the race.

[PatCummings]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

(Is Fairmount in Missouri or Illonois?)

Illinois

[DaTruth]

Franklin beat out Ronald Ardoin for the riding title at the 1982-1983 Fair Grounds meet. I don't recall if he rode the next year at Fair Grounds, which was where Delp wintered at the time. He might have been injured or on the outs with Delp, because he wasn't riding Delp's big 3yo Silent King in the spring of 1984. The next year, he won some stakes at FG for Delp, and won the Fair Grounds Oaks aboard Marshua's Echelon for Louisiana connections. He pretty much dropped out of the limelight at Fair Grounds after that.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Franklin beat out Ronald Ardoin for the riding title at the 1982-1983 Fair Grounds meet. I don't recall if he rode the next year at Fair Grounds, which was where Delp wintered at the time. He might have been injured or on the outs with Delp, because he wasn't riding Delp's big 3yo Silent King in the spring of 1984. The next year, he won some stakes at FG for Delp, and won the Fair Grounds Oaks aboard Marshua's Echelon for Louisiana connections. He pretty much dropped out of the limelight at Fair Grounds after that.

If Justin Beiber would play a young Ron Franklin - that movie would be a hit.

They are ringers for one another.